Queens man drowns in Warren County, NJ lake

OXFORD — A man drowned in Oxford Furnace Lake Sunday afternoon as the group he was with was ready to head home.

Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer said a group of about 30 was getting ready to leave the Oxford Furnace Lake Recreation Area around 3 p.m. when they noticed Juan Flores-Rojas, 51, was missing.

The recreation area staff joined the search and found the Queens residence unconscious inside a roped-in swimming area. Pfeiffer said that Flores-Rojas' death was ruled an accidental drowning with no signs of foul play or drug and alcohol use.

Family said he was an experienced swimmer and did not indicate to anyone that he was having any health problems.

Lake closed on Monday

The lake was closed again Monday due to the investigation into Flores-Rojas' death. It's not clear when the recreation area will reopen.

Oxford Furnace Lake is a township-owned recreation area that reopened Saturday following torrential rains that flooded the beach the prior weekend.

Elsewhere this weekend, a 4-year-old boy drowned late Friday afternoon in a Woodcliff Lake backyard pool, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. The child was taken to Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom