Princeton University student found dead in lake near NJ campus

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Apr 26, 2025

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NEW YORK — The body of missing Princeton student Lauren Blackburn was pulled from the waters of Lake Carnegie on Friday, less than week after he disappeared, university officials confirmed.

“Our hearts are heavy and we share our deepest condolences with Lauren’s family and friends,” Dean of Graduate Students Regan Crotty wrote in a message to students. “It is during these difficult times that we must draw strength and support from one another and from those in our community who are available to us for counsel and care.”

Blackburn was last seen alive around 6 p.m. on April 19, wearing a yellow T-shirt, black hoodie and ripped jeans near Firestone Library, located on the school’s central New Jersey campus.

Around midnight on Tuesday, search crews and first responders were deployed to Lake Carengie, after authorities detected a phone signal in the vicinity of the man-made reservoir bordering Princeton University, just a mile away from the library where Blackburn was last seen. It is used for practice by the school’s rowing team.

Blackburn, an Indiana native, was majoring in English and set to graduate in 2026, the Princetonian reported. He formerly worked for the student paper, where he wrote two feature articles during the 2023–24 school year.

“We know that every member of our community joins us in sending our condolences to Lauren’s family, friends, and loved ones and in wishing them strength in this most difficult time,” Crotty said.