People who knew Cesar Ortiz were having a tough time Wednesday dealing with his death and the freak accident that killed him.
"It's just so tragic. Everyone was stunned," said Steffan Burns, a friend and business partner.
Ortiz got sucked into a storm drain pipe Tuesday afternoon in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.
He was helping people at Shemin Nurseries drain about three feet of flood water after Hurricane Irene. Ortiz was the property owner. Police say Ortiz got pulled into the storm drain when he removed a manhole cover to help the water drain.
Eight hours later, after combing the R and D canal and sending a camera and firefighter into the pipe, rescuers found his body at the Ewing-Lawrence sewage plant. It had traveled two miles underground.
"It's an incredibly tragic event," Burns said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."
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On Wednesday, the gates at Shemin Nurseries were closed. Employees were in tears.
"Our focus right now is the family and employees," Burns said.
Neighbors say Ortiz leaves behind a wife and an 11-year-old son. They say he treated his friends like family and would give anyone the shirt off his back.
