Laurel Hill Boat Launch Destroyed When River Froze This Winter, Likely Not Repaired 'Till August

SECAUCUS, NJ — The boat launch at Laurel Hill Park is out of commission, and it will remain closed for the foreseeable future, Capt. Bill Sheehan, founder of Hackensack Riverkeeper, gloomily announced Friday.

There will be no public kayaking offered at the boat launch this summer, and the boat launch is closed to the recreational boaters, fishermen and Jet Skiers who have used it for years.

Due to the extremely cold winter we experienced this year, the Hackensack River froze completely over in that area, for the first time in years, Sheehan said. As the ice started to thaw and break up at winter's end, it broke the floating docks where they were attached to the wooden pilings.

Both docks have long since been carried away by the current.

"One dock we know for sure is down in Bayonne and tied to a bulkhead and the other we believe is up in in the Meadowlands in a creek," Sheehan said Friday.

He said it's the responsibility of the Hudson County Parks Department to fix the docks (his group just uses the docks to launch their kayaks), and:

"What's really slowing (repairs) down is the two former county parks directors got indicted," said Sheehan. "So it's been really impossible to get any work done on this."

He's referring to when the past two directors of the Hudson County Parks Department, Thomas DeLeo and Russell Fallacara, were indicted in March for receiving bribes in exchange for giving a paving contractor work in Hudson County Parks.

"I haven't been able to get any work done; it's at a standstill," Sheehan told Patch. "It's a lot more work than you think to repair those docks."

Because the docks were destroyed, the Sheehan also cannot run his pontoon boat tours from there. People who want to take his tours of the river have to board his boat at the River Barge Park boat launch in Carlstadt.

"I'm gonna be dealing with this until August," said Sheehan. "It's ridiculous; it's a mess."

Back to the bribery: Federal prosecutors say that from 2019 through 2024, William Murray, the owner of Murray Paving and Concrete company, gave a total of $1.5 million in bribes to both men who ran the Hudson County Park System, first DeLeo and then Fallacara, who took over the top county job when DeLeo retired in 2021.

In exchange, they gave his company $5 million worth of contracts in Hudson County parks, including jobs at Laurel Hill.

DeLeo, 76, and Murray already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. Each are facing prison time.

The criminal charges are still pending against Fallacara, 58, who lives in Bayonne. You can read his indictment here.

Hudson County Parks Directors Accused Of Taking Bribes For Contracts (March 2026)

If you want to kayak, Sheehan's Riverkeeper is running kayak rentals and tours at two places nearby:

Overpeck County Park in Leonia

Friday–Sunday & Holidays

10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (last rental at 4:30 PM)

Starting June 19, open 7 days a week through Labor Day

Van Buskirk Island County Park in Oradell

Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays in May, June, September, and October

10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (last rental at 4:30 PM)

Open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays in July and August

Registration is now open for their lineup of moonlight kayaks, guided tours and camping trips. Visit hackensackriverkeeper.org/paddling to learn more.