Body of missing 10-year-old girl found in Passaic River in NJ

USA TODAY

Body of missing 10-year-old girl found in Passaic River in NJ

Anthony Thompson, USA TODAY
Updated
2 min read

The body of a 10-year-old girl who went missing after being swept into New Jersey’s Passaic River was found July 31 after a two-day search, officials said.

Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said crews recovered the girl’s body in the river south of the Market Street Bridge shortly before 7 p.m. Friday, July 31. The child was identified as Milian Dulan, according to PIX11.

The discovery came after emergency crews searched nearly 9 miles of the Passaic River using boats, sonar equipment, drones, helicopters and cadaver dogs. The search began July 29 after three children entered the water near a boat ramp at Pulaski Park in Passaic, New Jersey, and were swept away by the current.

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One child, an 11-year-old girl, was able to get out of the river on her own, officials said. The bodies of her 10-year-old brother, identified by PIX11 as Michael Klenk, and Dulan were later recovered, officials said.

Couple’s sighting leads to recovery

Authorities were preparing to end the search for the night Friday when a couple living near the Market Street Bridge reported seeing something in the river from their apartment window, CBS News reported.

The couple went outside to investigate and called 911 after believing they had seen the missing child’s body. Officials said rescue boats were deployed within about 15 minutes and recovered Dulan approximately 100 feet from the bridge in Wallington, New Jersey.

Lora praised the couple for alerting authorities, saying their quick response may have prevented the body from being carried farther downstream by the river’s strong current.

A search team looks under brush during an active investigation and search for a 10-year-old girl in the Passaic River on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Passaic. A 10-year-old boy's body was recovered last night hours after a group of three children were seen in the river.
A search team looks under brush during an active investigation and search for a 10-year-old girl in the Passaic River on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Passaic. A 10-year-old boy’s body was recovered last night hours after a group of three children were seen in the river.

“Had that couple not said anything, and the current, as fast and as strong as it was, would’ve continued all night, there could be a possibility [the body] would’ve ended up by the Newark Bay,” Lora told CBS News.

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The girl’s mother was brought to the scene and identified her daughter, officials said. Lora said the family experienced both grief and some comfort after receiving confirmation.

The sun sets by the Passaic River after a large rainstorm on December 18, 2023 in Paterson, New Jersey
The sun sets by the Passaic River after a large rainstorm on December 18, 2023 in Paterson, New Jersey

Search shifted from rescue to recovery

Officials said the children were from Garfield, New Jersey, though one family has ties to Passaic. The children were playing near the riverbank at Pulaski Park before ending up on a boat ramp normally used by police and fire crews.

A good Samaritan at the park attempted to enter the river to rescue the children but was unable to reach them because of the river’s depth and strong current, Lora said.

The search operation included more than two dozen marine units from local, county and state agencies, along with dive teams and other emergency responders.

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By Thursday, July 30, authorities had shifted the effort from a rescue mission to a recovery operation as crews continued looking for Dulan.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Body of missing 10-year-old girl found in Passaic River in NJ