Illegal Swim Ends In Drowning: 5 Must-Read NJ Stories

Good evening, New Jersey Patch readers! We've assembled some of the most share-worthy stories from the state for today, just for you.

Here are the top five stories from the Garden State:

1. Smoke that rolled across parts of Ocean County on Friday night and Saturday was due to controlled burns aimed at decreasing the risk of range fires, officials at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst said. (Read more on Patch.)

2. A teen on a bicycle died after getting hit by a vehicle on the highway in Burlington County, officials said. (Read more on Patch.)

3. An airline contractor was caught with a loaded 9mm handgun at the Philadelphia International Airport last week, authorities said. (Read more on Patch.)

4. On Monday, officials recovered the body of a 79-year-old Roxbury man who was reported missing after he went into Lake Hopatcong this weekend. (Read more on Patch.)

5. A Howell Township man drowned Saturday morning while swimming in Crystal Lake at the Heritage Minerals site in Manchester, police said. (Read more on Patch.)