A recreational outing on the Delaware River ended in disaster on November 13, 2021, when a 19-foot boat near West Deptford capsized and three men were thrown into cold, fast-moving water. One passenger was rescued by people on a passing boat, but 24-year-old Joseph P. McLaughlin of Deptford, New Jersey, and 26-year-old Brian S. Palangi were carried away by the current and could not be located during an initial search.

A large multi-agency response by the New Jersey State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and local units from Gloucester and Camden counties and Philadelphia searched the river. After two days the effort was converted from search and rescue to recovery; searches continued for weeks but were hampered by heavy debris that forced a halt to underwater scanning. Palangi’s body was recovered in May 2022 near the Philadelphia Navy Yard. An obituary later confirmed that Joseph P. McLaughlin died on November 13, 2021.

Did anyone witness the boat taking on water or see McLaughlin and Palangi after the capsizing?