BY CHARLES W. KIM
Staff Writer
MICHAEL C. BAIRD A man who became stuck in a mud bank at Farrington Lake is pulled out by firefighters Scott Miller (l-r), Ryan Fenstermaker and Edward Bowne of the Brookview Fire Co., East Brunswick.
A cell phone helped a local man who was sinking in mud Sunday morning.
According to police, Walter Lapp of North Brunswick was visiting Farrington Lake near the borders of East Brunswick and South Brunswick early Sunday morning when he lost his sunglasses in the water.
Lapp, wearing hip boots, waded into the water to retrieve the glasses, but became stuck in the mud and started sinking.
Lapp was able to call his wife on his cell phone, and she then called south Brunswick police dispatcher Debbie Korypel at 6:49 a.m., according to police.
Korypel first thought the man may have been stuck near the Farrington Dam section of the park in East Brunswick, based on the description the wife gave her of his location, police said.
Korypel then thought that the description could have been in the Mill Pond Park in Milltown.
Both agencies sent officers to search for the man at those locations, according to police.
Still not able to find the man, Korypel called Lapp’s cell phone directly and was able to ascertain that he was in the South Brunswick section of the park near Riva Avenue, according to police.
Police said Korypel she stayed on the phone with him until East Brunswick firefighters arrived to rescue him. Firefighters said it took 20 minutes to pull him out.