IDs, Causes of Death Confirmed For Morris County Paddle Boarders

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Officials have confirmed the identities, as well as the causes of death, for two men who were found dead in two Morris County lakes this weekend.

Over the weekend, two men paddleboarding in separate incidents in Morris County died less than 24 hours apart.

Tilcon Lake Drowning

On Saturday, around 8 p.m., police were called to Tilcon Lake in Mount Olive on reports of a person missing in the water.

Police say that a group of adults were paddle boarding on the lake when one of them fell into the water and did not resurface.

The other members of the group could not find him and called authorities for help, officials said.

Several agencies, including the state police, the Morris County Sheriff's Office, the Mount Olive Police, and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, responded and swept the lake to find the missing paddle boarder.

The victim, Jonathan Gresseau, 23, of Netcong, was found Sunday morning around 11 a.m.

The Morris County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death to be drowning and the manner of death as an accident.

Paddle boarding is not permitted on Tilcon Lake, according to law enforcement.

Hopatcong State Park Drowning

On Sunday, around 2:30 p.m., police responded to reports of a potential drowning at Hopatcong State Park in Roxbury.

Officials say onlookers noticed an unattended paddle board in the water and notified a nearby beach lifeguard. The lifeguard told first responders of a potential drowning involving a 41-year-old man.

Several agencies, including the New Jersey State Park Police, the Roxbury Police, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Roxbury Fire Department, responded to the incident and began searching for the missing paddle boarder.

Authorities found the body of Kaushik Sharma, 41, of Edison, at around 7 p.m. Sunday.

Officials say the man was paddle boarding in an area of the beach not supervised by lifeguards.

An examination by the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office also revealed the cause of death to be drowning and the manner of death as an accident.