Screams heard before East Brunswick family found dead in pool

EAST BRUNSWICK —  Investigators say two adults and a little girl accidentally drowned in their backyard swimming pool Monday afternoon.

Township police spokesman Frank Sutter said police responded to a call from a neighbor who had heard screaming around 4:20 p.m. at 43 Clearview Road.

Sutter said police expected to find a "fall victim" but encountered a "drowning." First responders removed three people from the above-ground pool and performed CPR. They were pronounced dead in the backyard, according to Sutter.

The three were identified by prosecutors as 62-year-old Bharat Patel, his 3s-year-old daughter-in-law Nisha Patel and her 8-year-old daughter.

The Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause and manner of the deaths as accidental drownings.

An electrician came to the house during the investigation but police would not address speculation from neighbors that an electrical issue contributed to the drowning, according to an NBC 4 New York report.

Neighbors told ABC 7 Eyewitness News the family had moved into the house two weeks ago. Public records show the house was sold in late April.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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