Camden firefighter dies after falling into Delaware River and getting trapped under ice

A Camden firefighter died Thursday after getting trapped under ice and water in the Delaware River, according to the Camden mayor’s office.

The firefighter was doing regular maintenance on a department fireboat near Wiggins Marina around 11:30 a.m. when he fell into the water and got stuck under the ice. He was trapped for about 30 minutes, Fire Department Chief Jesse Flax said at a news conference.

The firefighter was removed from the water, given medical attention, taken to Cooper University Hospital, and declared dead.

The mayor’s office declined to identify the firefighter beyond describing him as a man in his early 60s.

The department will withhold his name at least until his entire family is notified of his death, Flax said.

“I do not have enough words that I can even say that could tell you how this is hurting all of us,” Flax said.

Camden Mayor Victor G. Carstarphen thanked the fallen firefighter for the sacrifices he made to serve the city.

“He wasn’t just a public servant,” Carstarphen said. “He was a husband. He was a brother, a father, that committed his adult life to serving and protecting and being there for our residents in the city.”

Pete Perez, the president of Local 788, a union that represents Camden firefighters, said this member was particularly skilled in boating.

“He was our guy for when it came to the boat stuff,” Perez said.

“I’m devastated to the core,” Perez added. “For first responders — police and fire — training, routine things, can be inherently dangerous and today, unfortunately, we learned that.”