Crime & Safety
Body Found Near Pier Village in Long Branch Identified As Missing Teen
Teen went missing May 27, body was discovered Saturday
The body found in the ocean near Pier Village on Saturday has been identified as the missing teenager from Patterson, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
First Assistant Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni stated on Tuesday afternoon that that the county medical examiner has released the identity of the body as Rudy Mena, 17. An autopsy on his body was performed over the weekend and revealed that the cause of death is accidental drowning, according to Gramiccioni.
Mena was apparently sucked out by a rip tide on May 27, and local authorities ended their search three days later. His body was pulled from the surf on Saturday afternoon by local lifeguards.
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