NJ Lake Search For Missing Teens Continues: Boys Feared To Have Fallen Through Ice

This morning New Jersey officials have resumed the search for two teens feared to have fallen into the icy waters of Budd Lake in Morris County on Monday night.

The two teenagers, who have not been identified by police, are believed to be 15-year-old boys who attend a local high school in Mount Olive, New Jersey. Family members were informed Monday night by officials that the boys had been reported missing.

The Mount Olive Chronicle reports that the sound of screams coming from Budd Lake on Monday evening caught the attention of nearby residents. The noises prompted calls to the 911 emergency service and police soon arrived on the scene. Officials fear that the boys may have fallen beneath the ice across the top of the lake surface.

Fire department rescue crews and state police diving teams scoured the area under search lights provided by a circling North Star helicopter.

The teams continued the search for approximately three hours but were unable to locate the missing teens before efforts temporarily ended at 9:30 pm.

An article by NBC News writes that William Hardy, who lives near Budd Lake, was one of residents who called 911. After hearing cries for help coming from the lake he went outside to investigate:

“We heard some individuals calling for help, saying, ‘Please help us. Please save us, someone help.’ I took the flashlight and walked out about 800 feet. They’re still another 100 feet in front of me, the ice is cracking. I can see a cell phone, I can still hear them. They’re still talking to me and then the firefighters came.”

Search and rescue teams returned to New Jersey lake at daybreak this morning to continue looking for the missing teens.