Another Death Due To Drowning In South Jersey Blue Hole, This Time In Ocean County
Yet another life has been taken by one of New Jersey's many legendary 'blue holes'.
In case you're not aware, 'blue holes' can be found throughout the state, South Jersey, in particular. They've patches of extremely clear water in the middle of the woods that were formed by former mining sites throughout the New Jersey. While it may sound like a fun idea to take a dip in one of these crystal clear bodies of water, they're not swimming holes.
I feel like a total hypocrite even saying that. I can't lie and sit her and say that I've never swam in one before. In fact, I've swam in quite a few of the 'blue holes' that can be found in Atlantic, Gloucester, and Cumberland Counties. However, I used to be super young and super stupid, apparently. It's easy to forget that while these patches of water may look absolutely gorgeous and inviting, some of them are hundreds of feet deep. Therefore, they're extremely dangerous to swim in.
The latest death report comes out of Ocean County where a 22-year-old drowned while taking a dip in a blue hole in Manchester. NJ.com reports that police said Jimy Sadan Gomez-Estrada was pulled from the water and rushed to Community Medical Center, but didn't wind up making it. Although the drowning has, so far, been deemed an accident, anyone with information is being encouraged to reach out to Detective Richard Conklin of the Manchester Township Police by phone at 732-657-2009 ext. 4211.
This death is, apparently, the third death in this lake within the last two years. That's a lot of tragedy in a very short period of time. This tragedy alone should be enough to deter people from pressing their luck at one of these things, but when you're young, you're not always thinking about the consequences of your actions.
Moral of this story is, basically, just a word to the wise residents of South Jersey: steer clear of the blue holes. They're not worth your life.
Source: NJ.com