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Christie: 1 NJ Death Attributed To Irene

EWING, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie says one person in New Jersey has died as a result of Hurricane Irene.

At a news conference Sunday, Christie reported a second death. He said a Princeton firefighter had died during a swift water rescue. But a spokeswoman later said he was given inaccurate information and the firefighter is alive and in critical condition.

New Jersey State Police say a woman who called authorities for help from her car on a flooded road early Sunday morning in Salem County was found dead in the vehicle about eight hours later.

Sgt. Brian Polite says 20-year-old Celena Sylvestri from Quinton called for help about 1:40 a.m. morning, first to her boyfriend then 911, saying water was up to her neck in her Honda Accord.

Her car was submerged along Route 40 in Pilesgrove. Polite says her body was found about 9:30 a.m. about 150 feet off the road by state troopers.

State police say they went to look for her but couldn't immediately find her in the dark.

They came across and rescued another motorist, 68-year-old James Troy, and then discovered her car in the morning.

Christie says some of the state's rivers are expected to experience record flooding.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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