Search underway for man missing in Lake Hopatcong

JEFFERSON — A search for a man who went missing while on Lake Hopatcong on Saturday evening continued on Sunday.

The 24-year-old entered the water from a "vessel" on the Jefferson side of Lake Hopatcong, according to State Police spokesman Trooper Alejandro Goez. The circumstances of how the man got into the water were not clear, Goez said.

The search was suspended late Saturday night due to lightning near the lake and poor visibility. The operation, considered a search and recovery by State Police, utilized a helicopter and rescue boats from the Jefferson Fire Department.

RLS Metro Breaking News reported the search was focused near the Main Lake Market in Jefferson.

Most of Lake Hopatcong has been under an advisory by the DEP after testing for levels of harmful algae bloom higher than the state's threshold of 20,000 cells per milliliter. The Henderson Cove section was the second to officially reopen for swimming on Thursday

Back in June, Avinash Kuna, 32, drowned in Henderson Cover after he voluntarily jumped from the pontoon boat he was on with friends while celebrating his birthday.

At the time, Mayor Michael Francis told the Morristown Daily Record that weeds can be 3 feet tall under the surface of the water.

Editor's note: The story was changed to clarify the search area was not near Henderson's Cove.

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