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Joseph W. Maffia, 28, was riding a blue 2024 Yamaha YZ450F when he hit the crest of a hill and dropped ten feet into a sand embankment at ASARCO, or Heritage Minerals, in Manchester Township, ejecting him from the bike, just before noon on Saturday, March 15, police said.
Other dirt bike riders found Maffia unresponsive, face down in the sand, and started life-saving measures, police said. He was wearing a DOT-approved helmet but suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead.
Emergency responders from Manchester EMS, Robert Wood Johnson paramedics, Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit assisted at the scene.
In recent years, multiple drownings have been reported at Crystal Lake, located at the same mining property. The Heritage Minerals site covers 7,000 acres near Lakehurst, New Jersey. Out of that, about 1,000 to 1,200 acres have been used for mining and processing local ores. The processing plant and leftover mining materials take up around 278 acres.
Police said unsafe operation of a dirt bike on private property was the primary cause of the crash. The investigation is ongoing by Ptl. Brendan Brush of the department’s Traffic Safety Unit.
Authorities warned the public that ASARCO is private property and trespassers face fines, penalties, and possible jail time.
“In the interest of public safety, the Manchester Township Police urges everyone to obey the ‘No Trespassing’ signs posted at the site,” officials said.
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