Woman Dies Saving Girl From Delaware River in New Jersey
The body of 33-year-old Priscila Alvares Pereira Dos Santos of Delran, New Jersey, was recovered from the Delaware River on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, after she went missing while helping rescue a 9-year-old family member who was struggling in the water at Amico Island Park, according to local police and municipal officials.
The Tragic Sequence at Amico Island Park
The emergency response began shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday, August 24, 2026, when Delran police responded to a report of potential drowning victims at Amico Island Park, located at 81 Norman Ave., according to a Burlington County spokesperson. Dos Santos entered the Delaware River to aid a 9-year-old relative who was struggling against the current. According to municipal officials, Dos Santos successfully pushed the child toward the shore, where bystanders pulled her to safety. Dos Santos, however, went underwater during the rescue and did not resurface.
A multi-agency search operation deployed immediately following the disappearance. The search effort involved the Delran police and fire departments, the Delran Emergency Squad, the New Jersey State Police, the Camden County dive team, and the Philadelphia Police Department, according to CBS News. Crews spent hours scanning the wooded shoreline, which features hiking trails and picnic areas but is not designated or known as a swimming location.
Search operations resumed the following morning. According to WPVI-TV, emergency crews recovered Dos Santos’s body at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, about 20 feet off a beach within the park, near the mouth of Rancocas Creek where it converges with the Delaware River.
River Dynamics and Environmental Hazards
The confluence of the Rancocas Creek and the Delaware River creates severe hydrological hazards for anyone entering the water. Kevin Peak, deputy chief of the Delran Fire Department, detailed the dangers of the location to CBS News, stating, At the time when the reports came in that she was submerged, the tide was moving out. We’ve heard all the stories about the ocean swimmers who get pulled by the undertow. River current is almost the exact same thing. It will pull you right under. If you’re not a strong swimmer or a good swimmer, it’s not going to fare very well for anyone involved.
Amico Island Park was closed on Tuesday as local authorities and emergency personnel concluded recovery operations. The Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting the ongoing investigation into the incident. According to local law enforcement officials cited by WPVI-TV, the circumstances surrounding the drowning are not considered suspicious.
Family and Community Remembrance
Speaking with Action News on Tuesday—which marked what would have been his wife’s 34th birthday—the husband of Priscila Alvares Pereira Dos Santos shared his grief and pride with reporters. He stated that his wife was an evangelical and a heroine who gave her own life to save a child.
As the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office finalizes its investigation, the community of Delran continues to process a loss defined by an act of sacrifice along the Delaware River’s treacherous currents.