Teen's Body Recovered from Budd Lake, Mayor Says

BUDD LAKE, NJ - Mt. Olive Mayor Rob Greenbaum said at 3:08 p.m. Tuesday on his Facebook page that the body of a teen who went missing Monday night has been found and pulled from Budd Lake.

"The State Police Dive team recovered one of our lost youth. I am hopeful for the second family that we can bring some closure to this tragic event shortly," said the Facebook post.

Rescue divers and first responders continued their search staring early Tuesday morning for two teenage boys who fell through a layer of ice Monday night.

Boats searched the lake off Sandshore Road near the intersection of Budd Avenue and have been since calls came in at 6:20 p.m. Monday.

Clyde Schimanski Jr., a father whose son—Clyde Schimanski III—went missing around the same time as the calls came into police, told Patch he’s “kind of in shock.”

“My son was a good kid,” Schimanski said. “He would never pull a prank like this. I realized around 6:30 (Monday night) my son was one of the ones (in the lake).”

It is yet unknown if the body recovered Tuesday afternoon was Schimanski's son.

A crew of divers continued to search throughout the night, according to Mt. Olive firefighter Doug Fenichel. Additional responders resumed their search at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Fenichel said.

“We hoped it was a hoax,” Fenichel told Patch. “But as information came in, we realized otherwise.”

Families of the teens are currently being held inside Budd Lake Chapel and are meeting with authorities and grief counselors.

“The high school is a mess today,” said Budd Lake resident Kim Maleyonok, whose daughter attends Mt. Olive High School. “Teachers are crying; students are crying in the classrooms and in the halls. Clyde (Jr.) is a sweetheart–he’d rip his heart out and give it to you. This is devastating to him.”

Mt. Olive Mayor Rob Greenbaum, who was at the scene Monday night, wrote on his public Facebook page just before midnight, “Once again I am sad to report that we likely lost two young adults in Mount Olive this evening. May God bless their families and help ease their pain.”

Firefighters and police attempted reaching the teens by boat, who were heard screaming for help in the lake, but were unable to reach them, Fenichel said.

This is an ongoing story. Patch will update as details are made available.