Crime & Safety
Elderly Man Found Dead In Septic Tank, Report Says
A family member found Benjamin Barbieri halfway in the pump tank at this West Milford home, police said.
PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — An 85-year-old West Milford man died while working on a pump on his septic system, according to a report.
A family member found Benjamin Barbieri halfway in the pump tank at about 5 p.m. Sunday, Detective Sgt. Joseph Walker said in a NorthJersey.com report.
Authorities do not know the cause of death, but natural causes and electrocution and exposure to methane gas are are all possibilities, police said in the report. However, electrocution and natural causes remain the most likely causes of death, according to the report.
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Police said they are waiting for an autopsy report, which will take "several months to get back."
Barbieri was an Army veteran of the Korean War, his obituary states. He was a Continental Can assembly line mechanic. He lived in West Milford since 1970. His wife Elaine died earlier this year, according to the obituary.
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