Woman Dead, Man Injured After Two-Day Ordeal in N.J. Woods; Search Leads to Tragic Discovery at Pyramid Mountain

MONTVILLE — A hiking trip in the New Jersey woods turned tragic this week after a woman was found dead and a man was rescued alive but injured following a two‑day search through rugged terrain at Pyramid Mountain, according to officials and reporting from CBS New York and TomsRiver.org.

The incident began late Monday night when a Morris County Sheriff’s Office officer discovered an unattended vehicle in the Pyramid Mountain parking lot around 10:14 p.m. With no sign of the hikers, authorities launched an overnight search but were forced to suspend operations at 4 a.m. due to deteriorating weather.

Investigators later identified the vehicle’s owners as John Higgins, 77, and Virginia Taetzch, both of Pompton Plains. The pair had gone hiking around 1 p.m. Sunday and never returned, prompting a multi‑agency response.

More than 30 first responders resumed the search at 9 a.m. Tuesday, navigating steep trails, dense forest, and difficult terrain highlighted in the CBS New York video report. Crews located Higgins at approximately 11:40 a.m., alive but injured. He was transported to Morristown Medical Center for treatment. His condition has not yet been released.

Search teams continued combing the preserve and later located Taetzch, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

CBS New York’s coverage emphasized the challenging conditions and the hikers’ prolonged disorientation in the woods. Officials have not disclosed how the pair became separated or what circumstances led to the emergency.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation, which remains ongoing.

MISSING HIKERS FOUND: One Rescued, One Dead After Dayslong Search at Pyramid Mountain – TomsRiver.org