Police searched for four hours to locate the man, who had an active warrant.
WINSLOW TWP. -- After spending four hours searching for a possible drowning victim within the township's wildlife management area, police later located their man about two miles away -- and subsequently arrested him.
It was just after 1 a.m. Tuesday when authorities were dispatched to the water quarry within the Winslow Fish and Wildlife Management Area for a report of a possible drowning.
'Blue holes' a beautiful, deadly temptation
Fire department crews and other first responders eventually gathered at the scene, deploying boating equipment to search the waters. Four hours later, police say they "safely located" 31-year-old Thomas Maier, of Franklinville, Gloucester County, along Mays Landing Road.
Police investigation revealed Maier had an outstanding warrant. He was arrested without incident, processed at police headquarters and released, police said.
A 17-year-old Williamstown High School student drowned last July while swimming at a similar "Blue Hole" quarry in Monroe Township. In the summer of 2008, two teenagers, a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, died in unrelated incidents at similar swimming spots in Gloucester Township and Carneys Point.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.