The search for a teenager who went missing while swimming in a New Jersey lake ended in tragedy.
The body of 18-year-old Victor Rodriguez, a senior at Pitman High School, was pulled out of Alcyon Lake in Pitman, New Jersey, on Monday, officials said.
Rodriguez disappeared in the water shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday as he was swimming across the lake as part of a school scavenger hunt, according to officials.
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"He became submerged," Pitman Police Chief Dan McAteer said. "There was another person on the other side of the lake and one on this side of the lake and they both tried to help but they were quickly, kind of overwhelmed themselves. Never in any jeopardy that we know of. They came back to shore. They were checked out by EMS."
Dive teams with NJ State Police, Camden County and Bellmawr used cadaver dogs and sonar equipment to search for the missing teen. That search continued into Monday morning more than 12 hours after Rodriguez went missing, the borough said.
The grassy conditions underwater posed a challenge for divers.
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"It's a vegetation that exists in the lake. It's very thick," Chief McAteer said. "Deeply rooted but comes very close to the surface."
On Monday afternoon, law enforcement officials confirmed Rodriguez's body had been recovered from the lake.
Pitman High School announced in an Instagram post that all of Monday's exams were canceled and that no students were required to come to school.
The high school. however, would be open Monday to offer emotional support, the post said. And, all seniors were "encouraged" to come to an afternoon informational session.
Rodriguez was a star athlete and wrestler at Pitman High School.
"It doesn't even feel real. Honestly," Sean Powell, a senior at Pitman High School, told NBC10. "I wrestled like half a year with the kid."
Powell said the scavenger hunt Rodriguez was participating in was a high school tradition.
"It's been going on for fifteen plus years," Powell said. "One of the challenges is to swim across the lake for points. You get points for it. You gotta record it and unfortunately something tragic happened."
Pitman High graduation is set for Wednesday night. An empty seat will have Rodriguez's cap and gown on it.
A prayer vigil for Rodriguez was held Monday evening. His brother also created a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.
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