EAST BRUNSWICK – A 70-year-old township man whose body was found in Farrington Lake at 4:45 a.m. yesterday is believed to have committed suicide.
Family members reported the man missing at 11:22 p.m. on Tuesday, about five hours before his body was discovered by police. The man had last been seen leaving his residence at 6:30 p.m. for the East Brunswick Public Library.
When he did not return home, family members located his vehicle in the library parking lot and then notified police. Police searched the area of the library, but were unable to locate the missing individual.
A short time later, family members located a note at the man’s residence indicating that he intended to harm himself. Information in the note led police to search the area of Farrington Lake area, where the victim’s shirt, shoes and wallet were located near the water.
Officers from East Brunswick, South Brunswick, North Brunswick, the East Brunswick Police Dive Team, the Somerset County Dive Station 56, the New Jersey State Police helicopter and K-9 units, and Brookview Fire Co. all assisted in the search.
Divers from Somerset County located the body at approximately 4:45 a.m. in an area of the lake that is just off a trail that runs through Bicentennial Park, according to East Brunswick Police Lt. William Krause.
The search had taken place on land for several hours before police came upon the man’s belongings near the lake. At that point, the divers began searching, an effort that would only take about 15 minutes before the body was found in the water.
“Once they realized he had gone in the water, the dive team found the body fairly quickly,” Krause said.
There were no signs of foul play, and the exact cause of death was not known yesterday. An autopsy was pending.
Krause said it was unclear how the man committed suicide.
“There is no information that he used anything to weigh himself down,” Krause said. “There is no information as to how he accomplished it or the way he did it.”
Police did not release the man’s identity, and it is the department’s policy not to discuss information that was in the apparent suicide note.