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Coroner releases ID of man who drowned in Beltzville Lake

The Carbon County coroner identified the man Monday who drown in Beltzville Lake Sunday as a 19-year-old from New Jersey.

Coroner Robert Miller said an autopsy would be performed Tuesday morning on Elisam Santana, whose body was recovered by emergency crews on Monday morning from the lake.

Ben Monk, manager of Beltzville State Park, said Monday afternoon that it was a Pennsylvania Game Commission incident because of the where the body was found, near the Game Commission barn on Pohopoco Drive near the intersection with Lakeside Drive.

Monk said rangers with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, and himself responded to the call “because it was an emergency on our adjoining property.”

“We got there, got the gates open, assessed the situation, and the fire companies started to bring their water rescue teams and their dive teams,” Monk said. “The Game Commission and (Pennsylvania) State Police were on scene, and when the Game Commission came on scene, we handed the incident to them.”

Officials originally said a 13-year-old boy went under the surface and didn’t come back up at about 4 p.m. Sunday.

The search ended Sunday night and crews were back out on the lake at 8 a.m. Monday.

The body was recovered at 10:19 a.m. Monday.

Crews searched in a cove off Pohopoco Drive.

Towamensing and Franklin Township fire departments, Lehighton Fire Department’s dive team, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Beltzville State Park rangers and Whitehall Fire and Rescue assisted with the search.

“The amount of support we got from our community and the surrounding communities was inspiring to see,” Monk said. “These people are volunteering their time and their skills in what is a very potentially scary situation, which really shows the character of the people in this community.”

COPYRIGHT LARRY NEFF/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS