After leaving Bloomfield, it enters the town of Belleville (which was, early in its history, also named "Second River"), and turns slightly to the south (though still generally easterly). Soon into Belleville, it forms the border between Belleville and Newark. Finally, it joins the Passaic River, on its way to Newark Bay.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Second River supported a sizable industrial complex of mills and factories.