Family Seeks Help Returning NJ Drowning Victim's Body To Native Ecuador: Fundraiser

A family is asking for help returning an Essex County man's body to his native Ecuador after he drowned at a beach along the Jersey Shore, a campaign fundraiser said.

According to a GoFundMe page , 23-year-old Wilmer Lalvay of Belleville drowned on Saturday, May 4. The fundraiser was created by Lalvay's cousin Norma Minchala Perez.

The GoFundMe has raised nearly $400 from at least six donations as of Tuesday, May 7.

"My cousin came to this country to look for a better future and provide for his family in Ecuador," Perez wrote in Spanish. "Wilmer died on the beach drowning and for that reason, we are asking you with all your heart to help us financially be able to repatriate Wilmer's body to his birth country Ecuador (in the city of Azogues) since his mother and family members are waiting to give him their final goodbye."

Perez said the fundraiser will also help pay for a Christian burial and other funeral expenses for Lalvay's family.

Spring Lake police responded to a swimmer in distress near the beach off St. Clair Avenue at around 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. The first officers at the scene found a man floating face down in the surf and he was pulled out of the water for life-saving measures.

The man was treated by paramedics before he was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the Neptune hospital.

Police also warned that lifeguards aren't on duty until Memorial Day weekend.

"Please do not swim in the ocean until the water is guarded," the department said in a news release on Sunday, May 5. "Rip currents and dangerous conditions are always a possibility and the conditions change daily."

Police from Belmar, Sea Girt, and Spring Lake Heights helped at the scene. Spring Lake firefighters, EMTs, and the off-duty lifeguards from the South Monmouth After-Hours Response Team (SMART) also responded.

Daily Voice has reached out to the Spring Lake Police Department to confirm the identity of the man who drowned. The department hasn't responded as of press time.

A spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said it was not involved in the case.

You can click here to see the GoFundMe page for Wilmer Lalvay.