Tragedy: A South Jersey Firefighter’s Unimaginable Death

The news of anyone's death under any circumstances brings sadness and impact to those who knew and loved them. Let's face it, death is a natural occurrence, and we will all experience it eventually.

But some causes of death make everyone groan in anguish. The death of the Camden firefighter who died on Thursday is one of them.

Firefighter Dies Trapped Beneath the Ice

AHoward Bennett, 61, a firefighter from the Camden Fire Department, died on Thursday morning after he fell into the icy waters of the Delaware River.

According to the chief of the Camden Fire Department, the firefighter was doing regular maintenance on a department fire boat near Wiggins Marina around 11:30 am on Thursday when he fell into the water and got stuck under the ice.

Bennett was trapped for about 30 minutes, the chief said at a news conference.

They were able to pull him from the river, and he was taken to a waiting ambulance.

"This is a very difficult time for all of us. I do not have enough words that I can even say that could tell you how this is hurting all of us," said Camden Fire Chief Jesse Flax.

 A City Remembers a Fallen Public Servant

At an emotional news conference, Camden Mayor Victor G. Carstarphen thanked the fallen firefighter for the sacrifices he made to serve the city.

"Camden's prayers are with the family, because he wasn't just a public servant. He was a husband, a brother, a father that committed his adult life to serving, and protecting, and being there for our residents in the city."

Pete Perez, the president of Local 788, a union that represents Camden firefighters, said Howard Bennett was the person who handled boating issues for the fire department, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I’m devastated to the core,” Perez added. “For first responders — police and fire — training, routine things can be inherently dangerous, and today, unfortunately, we learned that.”