New Jersey Family Drowning: Grandfather, Mother Tried To Save Child But Could Not Swim

Three New Jersey family members died Monday in a mysterious drowning accident. According to law enforcement sources, the two adults were trying to save the child who had fell into the pool, but neither of them knew how to swim.

On Monday afternoon, tragedy struck East Brunswick after three family members were found unresponsive in their backyard pool. Authorities deemed the deaths an accident.

Initially, authorities brought in electricians to check whether the accident might have resulted from an electrical issue because the pool is above ground, although the former owner of the house noted they had no earlier problems with it.

That initial hypothesis has been ruled out and the deaths are now seen as a result of the adults trying to save the 8-year-old girl whom neighbors identified as Sacchi Patel.

The tragedy began when Sacchi stepped into a six- or seven-foot portion of the pool. The child’s aunt then called for help, which authorities believe could have been the scream neighbors heard, and then the child’s 62-year-old grandfather, Bharat Patel, tried to save her. However, Bharat did not know how to swim.

Next to jump in the water to try to save them was 33-year-old Nisha Patel, but she too did now know how to swim and eventually drowned.

The Patels had only recently moved into the home after moving from South Brunswick. According to a neighbor who spoke to Bharat before the incident, the family recently had the pool fixed, so the tragedy might have been their first usage of the pool.

"This is a devastating day for our entire community," Brunswick Police Chief Frank Losacco said, according to NBC New York. "We are working with the Middlesex County Prosecutors office and will release information as it develops."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning ranks as the fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States. In fact, about 10 people die from unintentional drowning every day, a significant portion of which are children 14 years old and younger.