Body Pulled From South Jersey Creek After Man Fell Into Water

WESTVILLE, NJ — The body of a man who fell into Big Timber Creek in Gloucester County was recovered Wednesday night.

Authorities identified the man as Valentin Garcia-Gaona, 36, of West Deptford.

He was performing contracting work on a residential property in Westville around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when he lost footing on an embankment, fell into the creek and never resurfaced, officials said.

Eight hours into the search, Garcia-Gaona's body was found about 20 or 30 yards south of where he fell into the water.

Garcia-Gaona slipped off the embankment around Edgewater and Hunter avenues. A person working with Garcia-Gaona went outside and found him in the water, according to Westville Police Chief Michael Packer.

The man tried to throw Garcia-Gaona a line, but he wasn't able to rescue him before he went out of sight, Packer told NBC10 Philadelphia.

A large-scale search-and-rescue operation ensued, featuring dive teams from several counties along with several police, fire and emergency-services departments. Several hours later, the operation shifted focus toward recovering the victim's remains.

The incident is considered accidental and not criminal in nature, says NBC10.

Big Timber Creek connects to the Delaware River between Westville and Brooklawn before splitting into two branches that run through Camden and Gloucester counties.

Rescue crews looked through murky waters, which can significantly shift during high and low tides.

Garcia-Gaona owned a lawn-care company and a pizza shop, according to 6abc Action News.