An 18-year-old died Saturday evening after water rescue teams pulled him from an unauthorized swimming hole in Cedar Grove called Devil’s Hole, the town’s police department said.
The victim, a male, was not immediately identified.
Devil’s Hole is a rocky stretch of the Peckman River that runs deep near Community Park and the West Essex Trail between Pompton Avenue and Bowden Road.
Police for years have warned people, mostly teens, not to enter the water and have enforced a 2018 ban on public swimming in town, including Devil’s Hole. Another 18-year-old drowned there in 2014.
Yet it remains a rite of passage for some. A YouTube video posted in 2017 shows young people jumping off rocks in the area.
In 2017, authorities warned that swimming at Devil’s Hole could also be dangerous in terms of possible contaminants of the water.
Cedar Grove police said officers performed a routine inspection of the area at 5:15 p.m. Saturday and nobody was swimming.
A short time later, despite “No Trespassing” signs and warnings about swimming in the area, the victim entered the water and did not surface, police said.
Police, fire and EMS responded to a 6 p.m. call and eventually found the teen. Authorities performed life-saving measures en route to a local hospital, but the male died, officials said.
“Our hearts are with the victim’s family and friends as well as our community during this difficult time,” the police department said in a Facebook post.
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