Three family members tragically drowned in a backyard pool in New Jersey due to not knowing how to swim.
Nisha Patel, 33, and her 8-year-old daughter, along with her father-in-law, Bharat Patel, 62, have been ruled as accidental deaths on Monday.
According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and East Brunswick Police Department, drowning was listed as the cause of death.
The three victims were found unresponsive in the above-ground pool at their home in East Brunswick.
Authorities report they were pronounced dead shortly after.
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“The above-ground pool was mostly shallow at 3½ feet deep, but there was a portion of the pool that was 7 feet deep,” a joint statement from the prosecutor’s office and police said. “It doesn’t appear that the victims knew how to swim.”
According to authorities, electricity did not play a part in the horrific accident.
After screaming was heard coming from the home, East Brunswick police responded to a call from neighbors around 4:15 p.m. WNBC reported.
“It’s painful. It’s painful,” neighbor Yamini Patel shared with the news outlet.
Allegedly, the family had just moved into the home the past month and also recently had the pool fixed.
“It’s just horrible. It’s tragic,””a neighbor who saw the victims be pulled from the pool informed NJ.com.
With a background in the creative and educational fields, Amelia Finefrock is freelance writer, singer-songwriter and nanny based in Chicago.