Jersey man drowns in the Delaware

BUSHKILL — Superintendent John J. Donahue announced that the body of 37-year old Michael Salazar of Hillside , N.J., was recovered from the waters of the Delaware River within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area just before 8 p.m. on Saturday July 26. The National Park Service’s 24-hour emergency communications center was notified of a swimmer in distress near the canoe launch at the Kittatinny Point Visitor Center on the New Jersey side of the park at 5:03 p.m. Rangers were on the scene within minutes. Personnel from N.J. State Police, the Portland Hook and Ladder Dive Team, Bushkill Fire Company’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit and Worthington State Forest also responded. The body was recovered in 8’ feet of water about 50 yards off the New Jersey shore by National Park Service Dive Team members. The victim was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). The Delaware River is currently flowing at approximately 3 feet above normal summer levels due to the recent rains in the region. The river is muddy and visibility is nearly zero. The National Park Service urges all river users to wear PFD’s when on or near the water.