While no single agency compiles statistics on drownings in the river, at least five individuals were confirmed to have drowned locally this summer.
The recent disappearances of one man and the death of another in the Delaware River highlight the dangers of the waterway and reinforces what authorities say may be the best way to prevent such disasters:
Wear a life jacket.
Records from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area show that since 1971, when the park began keeping statistics, 89 people have drowned in the 40-mile stretch of water running from near Milford, Pa., south to Portland.
Not one victim was wearing a properly fitted life jacket, said park spokeswoman Kathleen Sandt.
"That is absolutely one thing that you can do to help keep yourself and your family safe: Wear a properly fitted, United States Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times," she said.
While the river sometimes has a calm, even docile appearance, strong currents and slippery rocks can catch even the strongest of swimmers off guard. Those dangers have proven deadly.
While no single agency compiles statistics on drownings along the entire river, at least five individuals were confirmed to have drowned in the Delaware locally this summer. None was reported to have been wearing a life jacket, as was the case with two others missing going into this past weekend:
On Aug. 10, Anthony Del Prete, 30, of Herndon, Va., was tubing in the river with a group of people in Tinicum Township when he disappeared, authorities said. Three days later, 20-year-old Amjed Hasan was picnicking with family and friends at a campground in New Jersey's Worthington State Forest in Hardwick Township when he went into the water and disappeared, New Jersey State Police said.
Hasan's body was found Friday by two fishermen near the Interstate 80 bridge.
Drowning victims' profile
The two cases fit a very specific group of victims swept away in the river in recent decades.
In the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River park, 64 people have drowned in the federal park's 73 miles of water since 1980. Sixty of them were men between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, statistics show.
Downriver, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area reports 97 percent of drowning victims over the past three decades have been males.
"We looked at that and kind of scratched our heads," said Kevin Reish, water safety coordinator for the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River. "Maybe it's peer pressure. Maybe it's that men are more apt to partake in risky behavior. But I wouldn't say they are more likely to wear a life jacket."
Frenchtown police Chief Al Kurylka added that it often seems to be people from outside the area who fall victim to the river's dangers. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area statistics seem to agree: Roughly 80 percent of drowning victims in the recreational area were from the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, defined as east of Chester, N.J.
"I've been here 34 years and I've seen the river at its most docile, beautiful times and I've seen it at its most violent, raging times," Kurylka said. "Those that live along the river know what the river is capable of doing."
Following five drownings in 2011, the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River was labeled as one of the 10 most deadly state parks for water-goers. Park officials began crunching numbers, hoping to find some answers.
The result, Reish said, was that authorities found most drownings turned out to be very predictable.
"We can tell who it's likely to happen to, the weekends it will happen on and the spots it will happen," he said.
Safety campaign success
The park has begun dispatching rangers to troublesome spots on targeted weekends and launching an aggressive social media campaign as part of an effort to prevent additional accidents.
And it seems to be paying off. Since the record-setting summer two years ago, the park has seen just one drowning.
"I think it's both luck and focusing on the problem areas more than we used to," Reish said.
Kurylka agreed that education is a key in preventing more deaths. In one weekend earlier this summer, the chief said an estimated 100 people were turned away from the river after being informed by officers of dangerous conditions.
Kurylka advocates for beach-style warning flags along the river, and said he would like to see fines issued to those who ignore warnings and end up needing a water rescue.
"We want people to enjoy the river and have a great time but we don't want to see it eating up any more lives," he said. "Unfortunately, bad things do occur but it should not happen as much as they are."
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LIFE JACKET AND MORE
In order to lessen the number of river-related deaths, Frenchtown police Chief Al Kurylka suggested Delaware River users wear a life jacket; make a plan for the day's river use and let others know about it, including an estimated time of completion; and take a cellphone in a plastic bag for emergencies. And if water levels are high or the river is moving fast, stay away, Kurylka said.
"It comes down to using good common sense," he said. "If everybody used it, it would be perfect."