A former lifeguard in Bayonne, N.J., has been charged with lying to investigators during a probe into the 2022 drowning deaths of two teenage brothers at the Lincoln Community School.
According to the Hudson County Review, Ashley Danback, 37, of Toms River, has been charged with one count of false swearing, a fourth-degree crime.
Police said there were three lifeguards on duty the evening when ZhengYu “Jack” Jiang, 16, and Chu Ming Zheng, 19, drowned in the school pool. The two boys are survived by their mother, father and younger sister, who have since settled a lawsuit agains the city for $26 million.
The charge against Danback relate to statements she made during an investigation into the deaths of the two drowning victims.
The statements were made after the investigation began and did not contribute to the deaths of the two brothers, authorities said.
"The entire interview Defendant Danback provided to the Detective consists of blatant and calculated misrepresentations of what actually happened, created by Defendant Danback in a shameless effort to absolve herself from any responsibility for the drowning deaths that occurred just two days prior,” attorney for the boys' estate Daryl Zaslow wrote in a 51-page mediation statement.
“Quite notably, Defendant Danback admitted during her deposition she was unaware there was a surveillance camera in the lobby when she gave her interview to the police and believed she would get away with her atrocious lies.”
