New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer says 68 people have died at the Andover Subacute and Rehab Center, a nursing home in his district.
In a Wednesday morning interview with ABC New York station WABC, Gottheimer said he “just got off phone with administrator … they have 68 lives lost, another 76 who are positive, plus over 40 staff members positive, and they lost two nurses. It’s horrific.”
The state of New Jersey said earlier it would begin investigating the nursing home in Sussex County after a number of bodies were removed this week.
According to police, the first clue was a request for 25 body bags.
“When they called Saturday they were desperate for body bags,” Gottheimer said.
Investigators initially discovered five bodies in the facility’s holding area.
In subsequent days they were tipped off to a body being stored in a shed. No bodies were seen in the shed but investigators then found another 12 bodies in the holding area.
“We need to figure out what went on here,” Gottheimer said to WABC.
Gottheimer pledged there would be “a very deep” investigation
