ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Chief Martin McParland of the Rockaway Township Police Department jointly announce the end of the investigation into the search of a missing canoeist in White Meadow Lake, Rockaway Township.

The search began on Sunday, November 22, at approximately 3:00 a.m., when members of the Rockaway Township Police Department were dispatched to White Meadow Lake regarding a capsized canoe, which contained two Rockaway Township residents, ages 26 and 27.

Officer Jason Tozzi from the Rockaway Township Police Department was the first responder to the scene. He used an available canoe and was able to reach the only visible the 26-year old distressed male in the lake, ultimately saving his life.

The rescued male was transported to St. Clare’s Denville Campus Hospital where he was later released.

A recovery operation at the lake was started on Sunday, November 22, for the second adult male. Today’s search continued to utilize sonar equipment monitored by the New Jersey State Police.

The third day of searching ended today, at approximately 9:30 a.m., when the deceased body of the second male was located in the lake.  Dr. Ronald V. Suarez, MD of the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office, pronounced the deceased male at the scene. The cause and manner of death are pending.

At the request of the family, the identity of the male found today will not be released.

Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank all the assisting agencies which include the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the Rockaway Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police the Morris County Sherriff’s Office, Parsippany Rescue and Recovery, Boonton Fire Department, Rockaway Township Fire Department, Jefferson Township Fire Department, St. Clare’s EMS, Morris County OEM, and divers from multiple agencies.

MORRIS COUNTY —  The Morris County Park Commission will be conducting a controlled deer hunt in accordance with its White-tailed Deer Management Program which aims to improve forest health in the parks through the management of the deer population. These controlled hunts are specifically used as a population management tool.

The following parks will be CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC all day on the specified dates and will only be open to hunters with special access permits. Bow hunting is scheduled in additional Morris County Parks between now and February but these parks will remain open to the public. 

Lewis Morris County Park’s hunts begin December 2 and will be held on Wednesdays through February 10, in parts of Harding, Mendham, and Morris Townships that the park covers.

Black River County Park in Chester, which includes Cooper Mill, Kay Environmental Center, Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center and Willowwood Arboretum, and lands managed for Chester Township, will be closed to the public for the hunt on Thursdays.

Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area – covering parts of Kinnelon, Boonton, and Montville Township – will be closed for hunts on Thursdays in December and Fridays in January. The park will also be closed Friday, February 5, and Thursday, February 11, for hunts.

All hunts begin the first week of December and run through February 11, excluding the final two weeks of December for holidays.

Bow hunting is scheduled in additional Morris County Parks between now and February but those parks will remain open to the public.

The Morris County Park currently protects and maintains 18,730 acres at 38 distinct sites. For additional information, including a complete hunting schedule, click here.

PARSIPPANY — St. Andrew Lutheran Church, located at 335 Reynolds Avenue, collected non-perishable food donations during October. The congregation has been donating to the Parsippany Emergency Food Pantry on a monthly basis for many years and during 2015 collected an ‘item of the month’.

January 2015 marked the beginning of St. Andrew’s 50th year of ministry in Parsippany and many congregational members strived to conduct outreach projects with the magic number of 50 as their goal. The church’s liaison to the pantry, Lisa Wedemeyer, obtained a list from the food pantry of their most needed items and we incorporated an each month.

“I am happy to report that each month our congregation far exceeded my expectation of achieving the 50 item goal that was set monthly,” said Kim Stecher, event coordinator. “Even though it was requested that each member bring in only 1 of the specified non-perishable item, our members brought in multiply items for each month.” “As a congregation, it would be safe to say that St. Andrew donated well over 150 pounds of food during the 12 months!”

St. Andrew, a barrier-free and accessible church, is located at 335 Reynolds Avenue. As a congregation we seek to do God’s work with our hands. For more information and directions please click here  or call (973) 887-6713.

PARSIPPANY — After talking with Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor James Barberio about the Parsippany Food Pantry Korla King, a sophomore at Parsippany Hills High School got an understanding of just how bare the shelves were and how many families in our town that were in need.

Korla decided to try and help. She posted on Face Book and sent emails and texts to family and friends that she was holding a food drive.

For weeks she would post various events she would be attending and asked for donations. After collecting for three weeks Korla was able to donate well over 10 Large boxes filled with food to benefit to Parsippany Food Pantry.

For more information on the Parsippany Food Pantry, call (973) 263-7163.

Parsippany Food Pantry is located at 1130 Knoll Road, and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Donations of non-perishable food items are always needed. Any resident in need of supplemental food are invited to call ahead (973) 263-7163. Ready-made bags of basic food staples such as canned goods, cereal and dried food, are available through donations from individuals, schools, scouts and churches.