Deputy Chief Scott Breslow said on Wednesday, at about 11:57 p.m., Union Township Police Dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call reporting that a citizen had found a body floating in the 5 Points area.
According to Deputy Chief Breslow, Officers responded to the call area and found that the streets had 3-4 feet of water due to the flash flood from the remnants of Hurricane Ida passing by.
Officers reported that the male was on Chestnut Street near Overlook Hospital’s Union Campus.
The citizen and workers from the hospital tried to help and pulled the man out of the water, into the hospital and began to give him CPR.
Union Firefighters and Paramedics responded as well but were unable to save the victim.
Detective Sergeant Anthony Lagoa and Detective Chris Lensi responded to investigate and found that the male’s car had been stuck in the roadway in the deep water.
It appears he got out of his car when his car got stuck and was unable to walk through the 3-4 feet of water.
According to Deputy Chief Breslow, it appeared as if he drowned in the water, but the exact cause of death is unknown.
The Union County Medical Examiner was notified and will investigate to determine the cause of death.
Detectives have tentatively identified the deceased man as an 83-year-old resident and are in the process of making notifications to his family, Deputy Chief Breslow said.