The Pitman High School senior that drowned while swimming in a South Jersey lake Sunday night, days before his graduation, was participating in an unsanctioned senior scavenger hunt, the town’s mayor said.
Victor Rodriguez, 18, was trying to make it across Alcyon Lake in Pitman when he went under the water at about 8:30 p.m., authorities said. Authorities located his body Monday afternoon.
Rodriguez was participating in a scavenger hunt at the time, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his family, which has received almost $50,000 in donations as of Tuesday.
The activity is organized by graduating seniors every year and is something that is not sanctioned by the borough or high school, Mayor Michael L. Razze Jr. said on Tuesday.
It involves completing tasks from a list created by students, he said. This year, one of the tasks was to swim across Alcyon Lake.
“There is a list that is put together by the students for the students and they put it out there and then they accumulate points based on what they do on the list,” Razze said.
“It’s something that has been done by our students for many years part of their tradition as they prepare to graduate from the high school,” he continued.
Pitman High School canceled all testing Monday. The district announced that its graduation, scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m., will still go on as planned.
Rodriguez was a “standout” on the Pitman High School wrestling team, Pitman Police Chief Dan McAteer said. He spent his first three seasons at Deptford High School before transferring to Pitman and finished his career with a 54-22 record between the two schools.
“Even though Victor was a student from Deptford who was going to Pitman High School…it felt as if he grew up here his entire life so it’s a tough time for all for everyone,” Razze said.
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Nyah Marshall may be reached at [email protected]