Jersey City man who was pulled from water Tuesday night was Newport resident who kept boat at marina in Liberty State Park

Thursday, October 14, 2010
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A 77-year-old resident of Jersey City's Newport Section died Tuesday night after being pulled from the water at Liberty State Park's Liberty Marina, where he had kept his boat docked, officials said yesterday.

At about 7:20 p.m., a boater spotted Arthur Rothberg of River Drive South floating between a boat and a dock and emergency medical responders pulled him from the water and immediately began CPR, said Park Police spokesman Larry Ragonese. Rothberg was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he died, Ragonese said.

Rothberg apparently had been installing an antenna on his sail boat when he accidentally fell into the bay, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said yesterday.

Homicide detectives from DeFazio's office who went to the Medical Center said there was an abrasion on the left side of Rothberg's head, suggesting he may have struck his head in the fall. An autopsy report was not yet available last night, but detectives said they saw no other trauma, DeFazio said.

Rothberg's sail boat was docked at the very end of Dock I at the marina, but by yesterday afternoon it was already gone and a larger motor yacht occupied the spot.

New Jersey State Park Police, Jersey City police and the Coast Guard also responded to the marina when Rothberg was spotted in the water, said Ragonese.

The investigation into Rothberg's death is ongoing and has been taken over by the State Police Marine Unit, DeFazio said.