BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer
Rory Zach The South River has claimed its third drowning victim in the past year.
Sebastiao Oliveira, 47, of South River, drowned in the river that separates the borough from Sayreville earlier this month. The Portuguese-speaking man was reportedly fishing with a friend under Veterans Bridge, Route 535, during the afternoon of May 5, when he decided to go for a swim in the river, according to Sgt. David Lasko of the Sayreville Police Department.
The strong current and outgoing tide pulled Oliveira about 75 yards eastward, and by the time his friend, a fellow resident of South River, pulled his body out, Oliveira had been under water for about five minutes, Lasko said.
Oliveira was pronounced dead at the scene.
His death marked the third drowning in the South River since last summer. A 30-year-old Honduran immigrant died in July and a 52-year-old Old Bridge resident died in the river in September.
“Its a very swift-moving current,” Lasko said. “There are objects submerged under there that you can get caught on, and basically it is not safe to swim in.”
Sayreville Councilman Rory Zach said the part of the river where Oliveira drowned has been said to be particularly dangerous.
“The surface of the river looks calm, but there are undercurrents that are fairly strong,” Zach said.
Zach, who is coordinator of the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management, said the South River is not only dangerous due to its strong currents, but also because it is a navigable waterway with frequent boat traffic during the summer.
“Whenever you are around water, for recreation or work, you have to take certain precautions,” Zach said, “and be aware that there are some areas that are not conducive to swimming.”
Any municipal laws prohibiting swimming in the river would be difficult to enforce, he added, partly because the area around the river is isolated.
“It would be next to impossible to enforce,” Zach said. “… Police patrol the area as much as they can, but there are only so many police resources to spread around.”
South River Mayor Robert Szegeti agreed with that assessment.
“There are enough roads in South River [borough] that have to be policed,” Szegeti said. “Now you are talking about this body of water … it is very difficult to enforce.”
The South River is the first major tributary of the Raritan River, and its tide runs upstream from its mouth in Sayreville to Duhernal Lake in East Brunswick.
Szegeti noted that people should avoid taking unnecessary risks, even if they are confident swimmers.
“It’s a tragedy when anybody loses their life. Sometimes people think they are good swimmers, and the unknown may overcome them, whether it would be the undercurrent or whatever is in the South River,” Szegeti said.
“Times have changed,” he added. “I know when my father was younger, [he] used to swim in there. I would not take any chances now with the change in currents.”