'Stay Out Of The Water': More Than 20 Jersey Shore Beach Rescues Strain Responders

JERSEY SHORE, NJ — After a weekend where first responders had to go into the ocean repeatedly to rescue swimmers who got into trouble in the rough surf, officials are begging people to stop taking the risk.

"Please do not go into any body of water where there are no lifeguards posted," the Ocean County Sheriff's Office said. "Other lives become at risk when this happens!"

"Rip currents continue Monday. STAY OUT OF THE OCEAN!" the Ocean Beach Volunteer Fire Company said in a post on its Facebook page.

More than 20 people had to be rescued from the rough waters Saturday and Sunday, where people swam on beaches without lifeguards and in spite of multiple warnings about the rip currents that were sparked by Tropical Storm Odette. Two people died and at least one other person was in critical condition after being pulled from the water unresponsive.

Beaches are unguarded in most of Ocean County following Labor Day in most towns. Most lifeguards are high school and college students, and many of the adults who supervise the beach patrols are teachers — all of whom return to school after Labor Day.

That's the case in Brick Township, which stopped staffing its beaches with lifeguards after Labor Day, Daniel Santaniello, Brick Township's recreation director, said Monday. The town also puts its beach patrol equipment into storage for the winter

Smaller beach towns — Bay Head, Mantoloking and Lavallette, and Seaside Park — also stop staffing with lifeguards after Labor Day weekend.

Toms River staffs its beaches through the first weekend after Labor Day, township recreation director Jared Tate said Monday, but does not continue to staff them additional weekends because the beach doesn't have the level of activity to warrant it.

"We don’t draw the crowds after Labor Day that other beaches do," he said, referring to Seaside Heights, which has lifeguards on duty on weekends in September. Island Beach State Park also has lifeguards on weekends through September.

Lifeguards are trained to spot rip currents and tell people to get out of the water before they get into trouble and need assistance.

Over the weekend, towns were turning to their police departments to get people out of the water. In Toms River, police officers forced people out of the water on Saturday after four people had to be rescued in Ortley Beach. First responders pulled a 27-year-old Connecticut woman from the water and performed CPR on her on the wave runner as they brought her to the beach. paramedics were able to restore her heartbeat, police said, but she later succumbed to her injuries, News 12 New Jersey reported.

A 54-year-old man died Saturday in Brick after he got caught in rough surf and was unable to get to shore. Two surfers came to his aid and kept his head above water but were unable to get him to the beach because the water was so rough. The Coast Guard was called to get him out of the water and he was rushed to Ocean Medical Center with paramedics performing CPR, but he succumbed, Brick police said.

In the wake of that incident, Brick Township is considering keeping the beach patrol's jet ski and quad at the beach "all hooked up and ready to be deployed," Santaniello said.

"We are talking with the volunteer dive team to see if they are open to doing 10 to 15 training sessions throughout the summer with the guards that are the certified jet ski operators," Santaniello said. "This will ensure that they are skilled enough to utilize these skis in rough ocean waters. It is totally different than launching these skis in a lake."

When the water is calm, one operator can handle launching the jetski for a rescue. In water as rough as the ocean was Saturday and Sunday, launching it into the water requires at least three people, he said.

"Then you need at least five to six to bring ski back in properly," Santaniello said.

Brick Township police patrolled the beaches on quads after Saturday's incident and on Sunday, Police Capt. Joseph Forrester said, to alert people to the dangerous conditions.

Despite warnings, there was a distress call about 2:30 p.m. Sunday for a man who got out too far and could not get back to shore, Forrester said. Police, fire and EMS responded but the man was out of the water in a few minutes, with assistance from Special Officer John Kisch, he said.

The litany of incidents and warnings on Saturday wasn't enough to convince people to stay out of the water on Sunday.

William Rumbolo, assistant fire chief in the Seaside Heights Fire Company, said there were at least six rescues from Seaside Park to Normandy Beach, and there were five swimmers involved between two rescues in Toms River.

Three swimmers were reported to be in distress off the beach at Bay Beach Boulevard and Kittiwake Road about 2 p.m. Sunday, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department. Ocean Beach Fire Department used its jetski to help the three swimmers, who were on a boogie board, she said. All three were returned to the beach safely and refused EMS treatment, Messina said.

About 5 p.m. Sunday, two more swimmers had to be helped in Ocean Beach II, she said. When authorities arrived, Jonathan Dow of Lavallette was in the water with his surfboard, helping the two victims, staying with them and letting them float until a Seaside Heights Fire Department jetski was able to help them back to shore, Messina said. Dow told police that neighbors who knew he is a lifeguard knocked on his door asking him to help the two in distress, she said.

A man who had to be rescued in Seaside Park on Sunday needed CPR and was in critical condition, his family told Portraits of the Jersey Shore. Additional information was not available from Seaside Park police on Monday.

The man's niece, however, said he is a lifelong surfer and has always been careful about the ocean, and respectful of its power, his niece said. "The truth is it can literally happen to anyone," she said.

Ocean Beach Fire Company on Monday praised the mutual aid efforts that supported the response to so many distress calls. Fire departments from Bay Head to Seaside Park worked together to answer the calls of those in trouble. It also urged people to stay out of the water.

"To say our responders are tired physically and emotionally is an understatement," the company said on Facebook. "Please remember NO LIFEGUARDS = NO SWIMMING!! Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who are still dealing with the tragedies from this weekend."

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