Locals Concerned After 3rd Dead Body Found In Essex County Park

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Another body has been found in Weequahic Park in Newark, the third deceased person to be discovered at the Essex County-run park in a month.

A male’s deceased body was discovered at the park on Wednesday in the woods near the Route 22 service road, according to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said that the death “appears to be a non-criminal incident.”

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Wednesday's discovery hasn't been the only body recently found at the busy county park.

Authorities recovered the bodies of an unidentified man and woman from a lake in the park on March 3. According to police, a pair of joggers running in the Weequahic Park track saw what appeared to be a human body floating in the lake around the golf course entrance area. Officers arriving on the scene to investigate the situation soon discovered a second deceased body floating in a separate section of the lake while canvassing the park and lake area.

The incidents didn't appear to be related, Essex County prosecutors said.

"The condition of the bodies suggests they were [left in the park] at substantially different times," prosecutors stated.

“There were no signs of foul play or blunt force trauma associated with either victim and our Prosecutor’s Office awaits toxicology reports on both victims,” the sheriff’s office stated in a Thursday update.

• See related article: 2 Bodies Found In Lake At Weequahic Park In Newark
• See related article: Joggers Find Woman's Body In Newark Lake (Do You Know Her?)

The Essex County Sheriff’s Office provided the following statement about the recent wave of bodies found at the park on Thursday:

“Despite the overwhelming statistical evidence that shows Weequahic Park to be among the safest recreational facilities in New Jersey, there has been some concern from local residents and park patrons regarding the recent discovery of three non-criminal deaths at that location… With the exception of four minor incidents which include two altercations the most glaring offenses at Weequahic Park appear to be violations of county ordinances, including curfew violation, playing loud music and dog off leash.”

Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said Thursday:

“Our department and the Newark Police Division diligently monitor and jointly patrol all activity at Weequahic Park on a 24/7/365 basis which is one of the jewels in our Essex County park system. The facility comprises 22 acres of parkland. Our efforts are augmented by our Patrol Division, our K-9 Unit, our Bomb Squad, our Bureau of Narcotics and our Deputy Division. Many areas of the park are densely wooded which limits precise visual inspections. As visible as our officers are at this location it is physically and economically impossible to have a uniformed officer at every location on a full-time basis. These recent non-criminal incidents which exhibit no foul play should not be a concern by our residents or by park patrons who whose daily numbers are in the thousands or by golfers whose daily numbers are in the hundreds.”

As part of his press release about the deaths, Fontoura added the following statement:

“As is well-noted, our entire nation is under siege from an opioid crisis as well as a mental health crisis. Persons addicted to narcotics are likely to overdose at any time, at any place. Persons with psychological problems who are also opioid abusers unwittingly or wittingly contribute to their own demise.”

Patch reached out to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, asking if police are considering the possibility that the three deaths are drug-related. A spokesperson provided the following reply:

“We're not in the speculating business but nothing is being ruled out, especially since these deaths have been categorized as NON-CRIMINAL.”

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