Youth drowns in Delaware

Third this season

By TOM KANE

NARROWSBURG, NY - A young male, Anderson De-

Freitas, 17, of Elmwood Park, NJ, who was camping at Lander’s Campground with his aunt, uncle and other family members, went for a final dip in the Delaware River at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 19.

“He had just eaten a meal and went down to the river with his brother, Anthony,” said Sullivan County Sheriff Chief of Patrol Art Hawker. “When he called out for help, his brother could do nothing to save him, after several attempts. Anthony then returned to the campground to get help.”

A bystander noticed Anderson’s body in about 10 feet of water and pulled him out. Rangers from the National Park Service responded but arrived too late. The drowning occurred upstream of the Interstate bridge, along the side of the campground.

DeFreitas was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital by the Tusten Volunteer Ambulance Service where he was pronounced dead.

His mother, who was at home, was notified of the tragedy by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s office. De-

Freitas was not wearing a life vest nor using a personal floatation device.

This was the third drowning in the Upper Delaware River this season, and none of the victims was using personal floatation devices or life vests. Peter Hardouin, 62, of Wappingers Falls, drowned on August 12 after his canoe flipped over at the Shohola Rapids on the river. Three other people in the canoe survived. Glenn Scott, 13, of Port Jervis, drowned while swimming with friends in a shallow section of the river behind Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis when he waded into a deep spot and panicked.

The National Park Service recommends that people using the river for fishing or recreation always wear a safety vest.