Authorities search for teen swimmer who went missing at New Jersey lake Sunday night

The search for a missing 18-year-old teenager in a New Jersey lake continued into Monday afternoon after the teen went underwater Sunday night and never resurfaced.

Authorities have indicated that the search is now a recovery mission rather than a rescue mission given the length of time that the swimmer has been missing, the Cherry Hill Courier-Post, part of the Paste BN network, reports.

The search began late Sunday night after first-responders received a report that a swimmer had disappeared in Alcyon Lake in Pitman, a borough of Gloucester County roughly 20 miles south of Philadelphia. In a Facebook post after 10:30 p.m. Sunday, the borough of Pitman asked that people avoid the area as a search involving multiple agencies was underway.

Pitman police Chief Daniel J. McAteer confirmed to the Courier-Post and other media assembled Monday at the lake that the missing teen is an 18-year-old senior athlete at Pitman High School. The teen’s identity has not been made public.

McAteer, who was joined at the site by Pitman Mayor Michael Razze, said that police have learned that the teenager and another boy had come to the lake to attempt to swim across it, according to the Courier-Post. At one point, the teenager began struggling to swim, though McAteer said it's unclear why.

The other boy, as well as a nearby adult on the bank of the lake, attempted to rescue the teenager themselves, but were unsuccessful. Pitman police were dispatched at 8:42 p.m. to the scene.

About 12 hours after the initial call, authorities were still searching the lake Monday morning for signs of the teen, the Pitman borough said in a Facebook post.

"Our community is thankful for the efforts of all the agencies that have responded to assist throughout the night and into today," the post said.

That search continues, but authorities now say they're looking for a body as it's presumed the teen has drowned. McAteer said a cadaver dog may join the search.

As of about 12:30 p.m., Betty Park, the site of the Lake Alcyon, was crowded with first-responder vehicles from the borough, Gloucester County, neighboring Camden County, and the New Jersey State Police dive team, according to the Courier-Post. Two boats, aided by rescue divers, could be seen slowly combing the waters using sonar technology.

Many Pitman High School students had apparently been camped at the lake, some since Sunday night, awaiting the outcome of the search for their classmate.

The high school said in a Sunday night Instagram post that exams for grades 9 through 12 would be canceled Monday and would not be rescheduled, though it did not specify the reason. Indicating that a 2 p.m. "informational session" was planned for seniors, the the post said the building would remain open to students, where services would be available for those in need of counseling and emotional support.

The school has not returned messaged left Monday morning by Paste BN.

“Just a terrible situation,” Razze told the Courier-Post. “I think what is a testament to our community, though, is the number of people that were out here on this sidewalk until the wee hours of the morning to support this family.”