2nd Person Dies After Weekend Full Of Jersey Shore Surf Rescues

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Connecticut woman who was pulled from the surf in Ortley Beach after getting caught in a rip current on Saturday has died, according to a report.

The woman, a 27-year-old resident of Brookfield, Connecticut, did not survive her injuries, News 12 New Jersey reported. She was the second victim to die during a weekend that saw first responders pull more than 20 people out of the water from Bay Head to Seaside Park.

The woman was among a group of four people who got caught in the rip current about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.

The Brookfield woman was the last of the four who were pulled from the water, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department. She was seen going underwater several times and was pulled from the water by Seaside Heights firefighters on a rescue wave runner, Messina said. The firefighters performed CPR on her while she was on the wave runner. EMS and medics continued CPR on the beach, where they were able to restore her pulse, Messina said. The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to Community Medical Center.

Three other people were rescued in that incident. Another Connecticut woman was taken to the hospital, and a Freehold man was as well. Information on their conditions was not available. A second man who was rescued in that incident did not need medical treatment, Messina said.

The first death was a 54-year-old man who drowned at Brick Beach I, after a rescue attempt that happened about the same time as the Ortley Beach rescue.

Two surfers saw the man struggling in the water and tried to rescue him, and though they were able to get his head out of the water, they couldn't get him onto the beach, Brick Sgt. Jim Kelly said. The Coast Guard was called to pull the man out of the water and took him to the Coast Guard Station in Point Pleasant Beach, where Point Pleasant Beach EMS was waiting. Paramedics performed CPR and lifesaving measures as they drove him to Hackensack Meridian Ocean Medical Center in Brick, but he succumbed to his injuries. The man was pronounced dead just after 2:30 p.m., Kelly said.

A man who was pulled from the water in Seaside Park remained in critical condition as of Tuesday, according to reports.

The rescues on Saturday — more than 12 distress calls were logged by the Seaside Heights Fire Department alone — led to extra police patrols and warnings from fire departments and first responders up and down the shore. Read more: 'Stay Out Of The Water': More Than 20 Jersey Shore Beach Rescues Strain Responders

Even those did not deter people, however. News 12 reported two more people had to be rescued in Lavallette on Tuesday.

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