Pyramid Mountain hike ends in tragedy: One elderly NJ hiker dead, another rescued
⚠️ Two elderly Pompton Plains hikers went missing at Pyramid Mountain Sunday.
➡️ John Higgins, 77, was found alive Tuesday and taken to a hospital.
🔴 Virginia “Ginny” Taetzch, 87, was found dead a while later in Montville.
MONTVILLE — The search for a missing pair of elderly hikers ended in tragedy Tuesday at Pyramid Mountain in Morris County, as one was found dead.
The 77-year-old man and 87-year-old woman, both residents of Pompton Plains, were reported as “at risk” according to Montville Police.
John Higgins and Virginia “Ginny” Taetzch were last seen Sunday around 1 p.m. at the very popular hiking area, along Boonton Avenue.
Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area includes more than 1,600 acres of "rugged trails, fields, forests, rock outcroppings, and wetlands."
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Abandoned parked car found Monday night in Montville
On Monday at 10:14 p.m., the Morris County Sheriff’s Office found an unattended vehicle in the parking lot of Pyramid Mountain.
Law enforcement combed the area overnight, for whomever the car belonged to, until the search was suspended at 4 a.m. due to weather.
Higgins and Taetzch were then identified as the missing hikers and a more intensive search resumed around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
More than 30 officers from Montville, Boonton, Boonton Township, Lincoln Park, Kinnelon, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office as well as the Montville Fire Department, Par-Troy EMS and St. Clares MICU helped in the efforts.
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One hiker rescued, another found dead
They found Higgins, still alive, at 11:40 a.m. and he was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital.
Search efforts continued and officers found Taetzch, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Tuesday around 6 p.m., the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the “active death investigation" in the Stony Brook Road area.
Taetzch is survived by a daughter and son-in-law and other relatives. She was predeceased by her husband in 2017.
“Our deepest condolences and prayers are with the families during this difficult time, and we thank all agencies involved for their dedicated efforts,” Morris County Sheriff James Gannon said in a written release.
“This was a tremendous effort by the men and women of multiple Morris County Law Enforcement agencies. The coordination and determination of all of those officers were able to save Mr. Higgins’ life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Ms. Taetzch,” Montville Township Police Department Chief Andrew Caggiano said in the same release.
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