A dip in a local watering hole claimed the life of an area teenager.
Authorities say a South Jersey man accidentally drowned while swimming in an inactive mining pit.
Ocean County authorities say 18-year-old Gary Douglas of South Toms River was swimming Tuesday night at Fischer's Lake, on the boundary of Beachwood and Berkeley, when the accident occurred.
Police responded to the scene after getting a 911 call around 8:45 p.m. They were joined by the Bayville and Manitou Park Fire Company Water Rescue Team, who entered the pit and found Douglas.
The teen was taken to a hospital, where he died a short time later.
Authorities are urging residents to not swim in the pits, whose bottoms are sandy, and the sides are steep. There is no support on the edges if people try to pull themselves out of the water.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 people die each day nationally and more than half (57 percent) of those drowning that involved people 15 and older occurred in natural water settings.
