WESTVILLE, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Emergency crews recovered the body of a South Jersey man who fell into a creek while he was working on a house in Westville, Gloucester County.
The body of Valentin Garcia-Gaona, 36, was found around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday along the banks of Big Timber Creek, according to Westville Police Chief Michael Packer.
“Wish it was under different circumstances and a better outcome,” Packer said in a briefing to the media late Wednesday night.
Garcia-Gaona, a West Deptford resident, was doing contract work at a home on Edgewater Avenue by Big Timber Creek when he slipped on an embankment and fell into the water at around 1:30 p.m., officials said.
A person working with Garcia-Gaona went outside and saw him in the creek. He tried to throw a line out to him but could not rescue him, officials said.
Dive teams and other emergency crews from a number of South Jersey communities responded. The creek, which feeds into the Delaware River, was about 10 feet deep, a challenge for crews to navigate.
“The current is moving very swiftly in the area,” said Andrew Halter, hazmat chief of Gloucester County Emergency Management. “The conditions were definitely against them. The conditions in terms of visibility were very, very minimal — just about a hand in front of your face.”
Shortly before crews were set to suspend the search for the night, they found Garcia-Gaona about 20 to 30 feet away from where he fell in.
“At this time, there’s nothing that appears criminal,” Packer said. “Unfortunately, it just seems like a tragic accident.”