How Did 2 Brothers Drown In Hudson County School Pool? Lawyer Alleges Negligence: Report

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — After a family lost two teen sons who drowned in a Bayonne public school pool in 2022, the family is suing the school district, with their lawyer claiming the staff at the pool was negligent, according to a story on NJ.com

Jack Jiang, 16, and Chu Ming Zheng, 19, died in June 2022 during what was billed as an open swim session at the Lincoln Community School pool, the story says. A lawsuit from the family says that the boys were learning how to swim in a 4-foot-deep area of the pool that suddenly drops off to 13 feet.

Lawyers say that surveillance video shows a lifeguard walking away "without urgency after spotting the teens in distress," the story says. The story says the staff lied to the authorities about their other actions and staffing levels without realizing there was video.

On a GoFundMe page for the family that was organized in 2022, Eliass Nid-Youssef — who identified himself as Zheng's best friend — wrote, "On June 8, 2022 we all lost two brothers who are very dear to us and hold a special place in our hearts and forever will."

He added, "They left this world and left their two loving parents and their 11 year old sister. Many of us loved these two boys and they both loved us. The memories we have of them will never be enough to match the energy that they brought into a room and the way they lit up a room
every time they entered one."

Experts have suggested that cities need open pools and affordable swim lessons, as children in urban areas grow up without learning swimming and water safety. Read more about that here.

Read prior coverage of the drowning here: READ MORE: Investigation And Fundraiser Ensue After 2 Brothers Drown In Bayonne School Pool