South Seaside Park Beach Renamed In Honor Of Killed Lifeguard

BERKELEY, NJ — It was an emotional afternoon as dozens gathered at White Sands Beach in South Seaside Park to honor Keith Pinto, who tragically was killed last summer after lightning struck his lifeguard stand.

"You really don't believe something like that could happen," Berkeley Recreation Director Mark Dykoff said, recounting the day last August when he found out Pinto had died.

"Not a day goes by, like many of you, that I don't think about that," Dykoff said.

White Sands Beach has been "synonymous with the Pinto family," Dykoff said, as three Pinto brothers have worked there.

"I know Keith is smiling down on us all gathered together," his brother, Tyler Pinto, said.

"They say it gets easier with time, but it kind of gets harder," Pinto said, saying that it is hard to get through milestones without him.

"When I think back to his tragic passing last year, what sticks with me the most was learning how much he was universally adored by everyone," Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato said.

"Keith was a very special young man," Amato said.

Family members and loved ones cried as a new sign was unveiled, designating the beach as "Keith Pinto Memorial Beach."

"Keith left us too soon doing what he loved, serving and protecting," the new sign reads, with a photo of him sitting on his lifeguard stand. "His sacrifice will never be forgotten. He will be remembered as a Hero and missed by his family, friends and fellow lifeguards."

Amato also dedicated July 1 to be "Keith Pinto Day" in Berkeley Township.

"Keith was a beloved son, brother, nephew, friend and cousin who will be forever remembered and never forgotten," the proclamation reads.