UPDATED: Colleagues Mourn Linden School Employee Brian Gooney

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Colleagues and relatives are mourning Brian Gooney, 55, a Union County school employee whose body was found on the bank of the Rahway River on Saturday. READ MORE: Beloved Union County School Employee Found Dead

Peers had described Gooney as a dedicated professional who cared about his special education students. He often dressed up in costume for holidays and special days.

Gooney had been missing from his Rahway home since the night of March 9.

"We are so sorry to hear of the passing of our friend and colleague, Brian Gooney, a paraprofessional at Soehl Middle School," said a Facebook post from the Linden schools on Saturday. "We will miss him greatly, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family during this very difficult time."

"It was a pleasure to have worked with Brian, such a sweet and helpful man," wrote a colleague. "Rest In Peace my friend."

Donating in his name

Gooney's obituary says that he was employed as a journalist for the Ocean City Sentinel Ledger and the Linden Leader from 1987 to 2005. He started working in the Linden schools as a substitute teacher in 2005 and then became a full time paraprofessional in 2016, teaching at School No. 2 and Soehl Middle School.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gooney's name can be made to The Asperger/Autism Network, 51 Walter St., Suite 206, Watertown, MA 02472. On-line donations in his name can be made here, and there are other ways to donate here: aane.org.

'Difficult post to write'

Gooney's sister-in-law posted Saturday, "This is an extremely difficult post to write. I wanted to post this on behalf of our family to let you know that Brian has been found. He is peacefully at home with his parents in heaven. We take comfort in the fact that tomorrow is Easter and we can rest knowing where he is. We would like to thank everyone for the calls, texts and prayers. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we are all so heartbroken."

Police said in a Facebook post on Saturday that his body was found along the river near Essex Street. Essex Street is across the water from Main Street, where he lived.

The Union County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine a cause of death. According to an NJ.com story, police did not say if the death is suspicious.

The Rahway Police Department posted Saturday:

"On April 3, 2021, Rahway Police Officers responded to the Rahway River near Essex Street to investigate a body found on the river banks. Rahway Police Detective Anthony Tilton positively identified the person as Brian Gooney, 55, who was reported missing earlier this month. Mr. Gooney was last seen leaving his Main Street apartment at approximately 9:00 pm on March 9, 2021. Since then, Officers from the Rahway Police Department and the Union County Police Department have conducted several extensive searches of the Rahway River, its banks and the surrounding areas. An autopsy to determine the cause of death will be conducted by the Union County Medical Examiner’s Office. This is an active investigation, and we ask that anyone with information please contact Detective Tilton at 732-827-2146, or the Rahway Police Department TIPS Line at 732-388-1553."

Schools held rallies

On Tuesday, March 9, Gooney had told his principal that he wanted to work from home. He was last seen on security video in the garage of his apartment complex, walking outside around 9 p.m. that evening. He left his car behind.

Gooney's missing persons file, added on March 15 to NamUs.gov, shows a still from a video of Gooney walking through the garage wearing a printed long-sleeved shirt, mask, and dark pants.

The file says, "Employer (school principal) advised that he has not responded to school for 3 days and has not logged into his computer after requesting to work from home on 3/9/2021. Last seen via surveillance camera on 03/09/2021 at his apartment complex. Subject left his car behind, cell phone turned off, and did not mention going anywhere to anyone."

Gooney had moved to the five-year-old apartment complex — one of Rahway's newly developed complexes close to the Rahway River — in January and was excited to live in the new apartment, a relative told the media last month.

Two weeks ago, the Linden Public School community held a rally to bring awareness to the situation and ask anyone who had seen Gooney to contact police. More than 100 members of the school community attended the rally.

Eloy Delgado, president of the Linden Education Association, said, "Brian is a beloved member of our school community who is adored by colleagues, students, and yes, family. Help us find our colleague Brian and bring him home.”

Gooney is single and has siblings and other relatives who spoke out, hoping to find information.

Before joining the staff at Soehl Middle School two years ago, Gooney had been a paraprofessional at School No. 2 and before that was a substitute teacher. Before that, he was a career journalist in New Jersey.

Gooney sometimes Tweeted good-naturedly about his interests, including films.

"Lots of prayers," commented a friend on Facebook. "...he loves his job and those kids."

The Rahway Police Department said in media reports that anyone with information should call Rahway Police Detective Anthony Tilton at 732-827-2146, or the department TIPS Line at 732-388-1553.

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