Man, 52, drowns while swimming in So. River
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - An Old Bridge man drowned Monday while swimming in the South River, the second such fatality this summer in that waterway.

James Mallon, 52, had been visiting friends at their River Road home when he went for a swim around 2 p.m.

A resident of the house realized Mallon was struggling and ran to get a flotation device. By the time the resident returned to the scene, Mallon was under the water. The resident called 911, and police, fire and rescue units from East Brunswick and nearby communities responded.

Close to an hour later, police divers pulled Mallon's body from the river, about 6 feet from where he had last been seen. He was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

East Brunswick Police Lt. William Krause said there appeared to be no single contributing factor to the man's drowning. The weather was fair at the time of the incident, although debris from the weekend's storm on the bottom of the river could have posed more of a threat than usual.

Even the fallen trees and rocks that normally lie on the riverbed can be dangerous to swimmers if they get caught on them, Krause said.

"Any time you're going into water that isn't perfectly clear, it's going to be dangerous," Krause said.

The fact that Mallon entered the water fully clothed may have added to the existing danger. Wet clothing weighs a swimmer down, making it easier to become fatigued.

The time between high and low tides in the river, or slack tide, can be especially dangerous. The water appears deceptively calm at this point, possibly giving swimmers false confidence, police said.

Panicking can hurt a swimmer's chances of survival when there is a threat of drowning. Full lungs help in keeping a swimmer buoyant, but the short, shallow breaths associated with panic reverse this effect.

Swimming in the South River is not prohibited. While the river is considered dangerous for swimming, prohibition would not necessarily solve the problem, Krause said.

"Even if we go out today and post signs, then we have to enforce it. We just don't have the manpower, and it would be impossible to monitor it at all times," he said.

In July, South River resident Benjamin Martinez Santos, 30, drowned in the river after leaving its shore for a swim while fishing with friends there. Earlier that same month, Daniel Hoffman, 34, of Edison, drowned while swimming in the nearby Farrington Lake in East Brunswick.