Man drowns swimming in NJ cranberry reservoir

✅Frank Guadagnini was swimming in a reservoir that feeds cranberry operations

✅Efforts to revive the Point Pleasant Borough man were unsuccessful

✅It was one of three drownings in New Jersey on Saturday

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP — A man drowned in a cranberry reservoir Saturday evening hours after a man died swimming in a nearby quarry.

New Jersey State Park Police said Frank Guadagnini, 55, of Point Pleasant Borough, was swimming in an unnamed reservoir inside the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest that feeds the cranberry operations in the Whitesbog section of Pemberton Township off Whitebog Trails.

State Park police said after a drowning was reported to Manchester police, the Manchester Township Dive Team searched the water and recovered Guadagnini. Despite lifesaving efforts from first responders, Guadagnini was pronounced dead at the scene, State Park police said.

"To those who knew Frank experienced his kind giving heart, and his crazy antics to make people laugh," his daughter Gianna wrote on her Facebook page.

Guadagnini's funeral is scheduled for Friday at the George S. Hassler Funeral Home in Jackson from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

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Other weekend drownings

Manchester police said Edwin Toro-Mejia, 33, of Howell went swimming with a younger family member around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at Crystal Lake at the nearby Heritage Minerals Quarry. The pair tried to swim across Crystal Lake when Toro-Mejia had a muscle cramp around 30 yards from the shore, according to police. His family tried to rescue him but he went under and was taken by the current.

Manchester Police Lt. Chris Cerullo told NBC Philadelphia the 7,000 acre quarry is private property where swimming is not permitted. The department will be increasing its presence at the lake to keep would be swimmers out.

A 79-year-old Morris County man is dead after he disappeared into Lake Hopatcong on Saturday night. A submersible, divers, and a helicopter were used in the search which recovered his body on Monday, according to officials.

Previous reporting by Rick Rickman was used in this report

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