The community of Garfield, New Jersey, is coming together to mourn two young children who drowned in the Passaic River, with the city holding a candlelight vigil in their memory, according to News 12 New York. Family and friends were set to gather at Century Field on Elizabeth Street to remember them.
The two children, Michael Klenk and Milia Dula, were both 10 years old. Police said the two, along with Klenk's 11-year-old sister, had been playing on a boat launch last Wednesday when the tragedy unfolded on the river and the children ended up in the water.
In the moments before he died, Klenk is credited with saving his sister's life. His 11-year-old sister survived because he pushed her to safety, according to the station, an act of selflessness that has stood out amid the grief now gripping the community.
Since the tragedy, local leaders have turned their attention to water safety on the river. Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said he wants a meeting with local, county, and state officials to discuss ways to prevent something like this from happening again in the future.
The changes under discussion include more warning signs, additional patrols, water safety education in schools, and more life-saving equipment along the river. The mayor floated the idea of placing life buoys or rescue rings at all of the area's waterways.
Lora suggested pairing those rings with a special rescue cabinet, to make it easier for people who arrive on the scene to respond immediately to someone struggling in the water. He also noted that every police cruiser already carries a rescue disk, giving officers another tool for water emergencies.