NJ victims of Ida: Remembering residents killed in flash flooding

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated numerous times to reflect the identities disclosed of those in state who died during Ida.

As the Ida death toll in New Jersey continued to rise, with several people still missing, President Joe Biden announced plans over Labor Day weekend to tour part of the state.

On Sept. 13 a person who had been hospitalized with injuries since the storm died, bring the count to 30, according to Gov. Phil Murphy and State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan.

The deaths included six people in Hunterdon County, five each in Union and Somerset County, four in Essex County, three in Middlesex County, two in Mercer County and 1 each in Passaic and Bergen County.

Biden's visit to Manville was announced by the White House as the number of missing state residents stood at four — three in Passaic County and one in Essex County.

Bridgewater and Raritan also announced a joint candle-lit vigil on Sunday evening in honor of all lives lost and hardships caused by the severe storm on Sept. 1.

Communities have been mourning the lives lost amid the devastating storm that swept over New Jersey and much of the East coast.

Mercer County Ida victims

Both of the deaths that occurred in Mercer County during Ida were in Hopewell Township.

Shyam Petal, 25, of Middlesex County, and Yvonne Mahoney, 78, of Hunterdon County, were identified as those victims on Wednesday by the township's police director.

Hunterdon County Ida victims

Hunterdon County emergency management officials on Friday identified all six people who died there, including 25-year-old Jake Taylor of Flemington, 30-year-old Susan Hanna of Bridgewater, and 53-year-old Mark Pavol.

"The Hanna family has lived, worked, and gone to school in our community for many years," according to a GoFundMe online fundraiser organized by Caroline Fryzel to help cover funeral costs, which also said that "Suzie" had just celebrated her birthday a weekend earlier.

Pavol was identified as a resident of the Ringoes section of East Amwell, while he was remembered on social media as a Manville community member who had just helped three women in the rising flood waters, before his own death.

Also among those killed in the storm in Hunterdon County were three men from Pennsylvania: 77-year-old Harold Koberlein of Telford, Preston Moody of Drexel Hill, and Barry Snyder of Upper Black Eddy — both Moody and Snyder were 68, according to county officials.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of these deaths. Our thoughts and prayers are with
the victims, their families and loved ones,” Hunterdon County Board of Commissioners Director Susan Soloway said in a written statement.

Union County Ida victims

An Elizabeth city spokeswoman confirmed to New Jersey 101.5 the identities of three family members and a neighbor who died in flooding in the same apartment building: Jose Torres, 71, his wife Rosa Espinal, 72, their adult son Jose Torres, 38, and 33-year-old neighbor Shakia Garrett.

The Torres family members and Garrett had all been trapped as the first floor apartments at Oakwood Plaza was rapidly flooded on Wednesday.

Also in Union County, an 83-year-old Union Township man drowned after getting out of a car that was stranded amid flooding, as reported by Patch.

Rudy Pacis was identified by Union Police on Tuesday, who confirmed he was found near Overlook Hospital’s Union Campus on Chestnut Street.

Middlesex County Ida victims

Sunanda Upadhye, 56, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, was killed in the flooding and found Thursday morning near the Cooper Ave Park in Iselin, according to Woodbridge Police.

Upadhye had been reported missing by her husband when she failed to return home from work. She had tried to walk along Gill Lane, after it was made impassable by vehicle, police said.

An Edison man also has been as one of Middlesex County’s residents lost in the violent storm.

Dhanush Reddy, 31, was killed after being swept into a 36-inch storm sewer, according to a written release by South Plainfield Mayor Matthew Anesh. Reddy's body was found in a wooded area behind Centennial Avenue in Piscataway, the mayor said.

In Middlesex Borough, the body of 40-year-old Matthew Weber, of Piscataway, was recovered on Sept. 3 in an area which had severely flooding during Ida, police confirmed. As of Friday, a Medical Examiner’s report was still pending.

Somerset County Ida victims

Cheryl Talke, 61, of the Belle Mead section of Montgomery, was killed as her vehicle was submerged in flooding at Route 206 and Mountainview Road in Hillsborough, as reported by Planet Princeton. 

Daphne Francisca Lopez Del Bono, 30, of the Ringoes section of East Amwell township, also was found in a flooded out vehicle in Hillsborough, according to the same report.

Lopez Del Bono was an international student with Uceda Institute, according to a GoFundMe page setup on Thursday. The campaign donations were to be used for funeral costs and to fly her body back to her native Chile.

Malathu Kanche, of Raritan, was found on Friday in the waters of Middle Brook in Bound Brook, as first reported by TapInto Franklin/Somerset and confirmed by Bridgewater Township Police.

The bodies of Hongxia Li, of Bridgewater, and Ping Fang, of Somerville, also were recovered as both appeared to have drowned in rapid flood waters near Peter's Brook.

Essex County Ida victims

Aventino Soares, 58, of Bloomfield, also was recovered amid the deadly storm on Wednesday night, as reported by TapInto Bloomfield. Soares was found lying in water, holding an electrical cord, according to Bloomfield Police cited in the same report.

A Maplewood man also was among those killed in the flooding, according to Maplewood Police. Patrick Jeffrey, as identified by NJ.com, had been reported missing by his wife after he failed to return home to their Maple Terrace home — and his body was recovered from Ridgewood Road the following morning, police said.

It was believed he was trying to clear debris from neighborhood storm drains when he was swept away in the water.

James Mcgee, 66, and Shenique Mcgee, 46, both of Irvington, also had died during the flooding from Ida, as confirmed on Sunday by Irvington officials.

Passaic County Ida victims

Luis Jalil-Solarzario, 70, of Clifton, was killed in the flash flooding in Passaic, according to officials cited by NorthJersey.com. The same report said his wife and adult son were rescued by first responders as the car initially got stuck in about two feet of water.

The bodies of two young Passaic residents also were recovered, more than a week after their vehicle had been struck by rushing waters.

Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21, both were swept away in a car during the Sept. 1 flash flooding.

Donna Lomagro, 56, of Little Falls, was another Passaic County resident who has been missing since Ida tore through the state, according to Woodland Park Police.