Man Dies Trying To Get Kids Off Ocean County Beach As Thunderstorm Rolls In: Report

SEASIDE PARK, NJ — An Ocean County man died Sunday evening as he tried to warn a group of kids to get off the beach in Seaside Park as thunderstorms rolled through the area, according to a report.

Patrick Dispoto, 58, was found unresponsive on the beach in Seaside Park, where he had gone to warn the kids, his girlfriend, Ruth, told News 12 New Jersey.

The couple were at the beach in Seaside Park about 7 p.m., when storm clouds were moving across Toms River. Dispoto saw the storm coming, got Ruth to the safety of his truck and went to warn the kids, the report said. She told News 12 she believed he had been struck by lightning.

He was pronounced dead at a local hospital, the report said.

Authorities have not announced a cause of death.

Dispoto, who lived in the Renaissance community in Manchester, was a 1984 graduate of Brick Township High School and was remembered by several classmates as a good friend.