Family Angry After 19-year-old Found Dead Next to Pleasantville, NJ, Strip Club

PLEASANTVILLE — The family of a 19-year-old whose body was found in a marshy area next to a strip club is pushing back on law enforcement comments that there does not appear to be a crime.

Irving Mayren-Guzman went missing early Sunday morning after visiting the Centerfold Cabaret on Delilah Road with his brother Alex Mayren and a friend. When they were ready to leave they could not find Irving. Brother Joaquin Lugos told the Townsquare News Network that a family member discovered Mayren-Guzman's body.

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Pleasantville police Capt. Stacy Schlachter told NBC 10 Philadelphia that he was involved in an altercation at the club but there was no indication of foul play. Mayren-Guzman left the club and started walking east on Delilah Road towards Atlantic City, she said.

When a search was conducted of the area where his body was found on Monday it was high tide and the area was covered with water, which is why K9 units, drones and aircraft didn't spot his body, according to Schlachter.

Justice for Irving

His father, Eulojeo Mayren, told a crowd outside the club on Tuesday afternoon that the bar should be shut down because they admitted someone not legally able to drink, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

The club's Facebook page states that customers must be 21 and older to enter and proper ID is required.

The family believes foul play was involved in Irving Mayren-Guzman's death, according to a GoFundMe page created to help with funeral services.

Mayren-Guzman's aunt told CBS Philly that a fight broke out and he was punched in the face.

"His life was cut far too short"

Mayren-Guzman was remembered as a "young yet determined" man who was working at Caliber Collision and aspired to be a barber, according to the GoFundMe page.

"He was always looking out for others, steering others in the right direction. He wanted to help everyone and always gave good advice. He wanted everyone to do good and bring them with him as he grew. He never left anyone out; he was selfless and always thought of others before himself," Lugos wrote on the page.