NJ Lake Drowning Victims Identified As Brothers

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — An online fundraiser has been set up to cover the costs of returning the bodies of two brothers who drowned in Mine Hill on Tuesday to Guatemala.

According to police, the 17-year-old and 22-year-old brothers, named Arnulfo and Jesús, were swimming with a group in Mine Hill Beach's sunset lake when they went into the water at the sand pits and never came out.

The bodies were discovered after an "intensive" search of the lake area several hours later, but the search was complicated "due to tangled vegetation below the water surface," according to the prosecutor's office.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office, which is handling the incident's publicity, has not released much information about the victims other than that they are Hispanic and are 17 and 22 years old.

“The case is still an active investigation with no further information to release at this time,” said prosecutor’s office Agent Paul Merkler.

The GoFundMe page created by Alan Verá stated that 22-year-old Jesús was attempting to rescue his younger brother Arnulfo from the lake. Verá is hoping to gather $40,000. On his fundraising page, Verá called Jesús his "little brother" and described him as a happy and loving young man.

Verá said the money will be used to “cover the expenses that the repatriation of both bodies to their families and to their country,” adding that “Any help is welcome to get his parents to give him a Christian burial.”