54°
State police on Monday continued to search for a distressed swimmer who drowned on Lake Hopatcong over the weekend.
Avinash Kuna, 32 of Parsippany, was on a boat with three friends on the lake in Jefferson when he entered the water and had trouble staying afloat around 10:50 Saturday morning, New Jersey State Police said.
** UPDATE: Avinash Kuna was remembered on a GoFundMe as being ambitious and deeply caring **
He and eight friends, mostly from his job at the UPS Technology Center in Parsippany, rented a boat to celebrate his birthday when tragedy struck, the DailyRecord reports.
Kuna apprently went into the water but caught his leg on some weeds and was pulled under almost immediately, his friend Jay Majeti told the news outlet.
Majeti put on a life vest and dove in to try to help -- but almost drowned himself, he said.
""In the 5 seconds that took," Majeti said, "we lost him."
Witness Tom Davis recalled the terrifying incident in a video he posted to YouTube.
Marine Services Bureau troopers used side scan sonar sub-surface detection equipment to aid in locating Kuna.
Assisting in the search were State Police Aviation, Missing Persons, and T.E.A.M.S. Units as well as Jefferson Fire Department. The recovery efforts continued through the weekend, but were met with no results.
The search resumed Monday around 9 a.m. with troopers from the New Jersey State Police Canine Unit assisting.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Ridgewood and receive free news updates.
