New York Man, 44, Drowns in Backyard Pool During Wayne House Party
Wayne, NJ — July 21, 2025 — Police claimed that a 44-year-old man from Queens, New York, drowned during a home party in Wayne on the night of Friday, July 19. This was the second fatal drowning in the township in just two days.
The Wayne Police Department says that officers were sent to a house on Rutgers Court soon after 10 p.m. after an emergency call said that a car had crashed into a swimming pool. But when the police got there, they found that no car had wrecked. They noticed that an attendee at the party had drowned in the pool in the backyard.
Victim At the Bottom of the Pool
Authorities say the man was swimming at the party, but later they found him at the bottom of the pool, and he wasn’t moving. Other people at the party got him out and started doing CPR right away.
Emergency responders from the Wayne Police Department, the Wayne First Aid Squad, and St. Joseph’s Health paramedics took up the life-saving work at the scene. Then, the man was taken quickly to St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital, where he was later declared dead. We still don’t know who the victim is.
Investigation Underway
The Wayne Police Detective Bureau is now looking into the drowning. Anyone who may have seen what happened or has any information that could help should call Detective Joseph Cobianchi at 973-633-3530.
Second Drowning in Wayne in Two Days
This tragic event happened just one day after a 5-year-old boy was found dead in another Wayne household swimming pool in what was thought to be a drowning. The boy was said to have gone home without an adult watching him on July 18, and he was found floating in a pool around 5:30 p.m.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office and Wayne Police Department both said that police were contacted an hour later and took the infant to Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, where he was declared dead at 7:44 p.m. That probe is still going on, too.
Third Drowning in the Area Within a Week
These recent tragedies, when taken together, make three drownings in the area in only one week. One of them even involved a child from Paterson.
As the investigation goes on, both residents and the government are asking people to be extra careful around swimming pools, especially in the summer when there are a lot of people around.
If You Have Information: Detective Joseph Cobianchi would want to hear from anyone who knows anything about the drowning on July 19. Please call at 973-633-3530.
