Berwyn Man Among 2 Who Drowned In Jersey Shore Town

Two more people — including a Berwyn man — have died in drowning deaths at the Jersey Shore, both in the same town.

Brian Zwaan, 58, of Berwyn, who was senior vice president of commercial banking in Pennsylvania for WSFS Financial Corp., died after drowning off Sea Isle City, New Jersey, on Monday, police said. A 74-year-old man also died later in the week.

The two victims were the 26th and 27th people to die in New Jersey waters this summer, prompting calls for people to use better common sense, and lawmakers to search for ways to better protect swimmers. Eight have died in New Jersey this week alone.

Read more: 27 Die In New Jersey Water Deaths In 3 Months As Trend Continues

Zwaan was found after officers from the Sea Isle City Police Department responded to the 86th Street beach on a report of a medical emergency at approximately 2:43 p.m. on Monday, police said.

As patrol officers arrived on scene, lifeguards and good Samaritans were performing CPR on the victim. Zwaan was transported to Cape Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:40 p.m., police said.

An autopsy determined that Zwaan died of head and neck injuries that were complicated by drowning, police said.

People paid tribute to Zwaan in obituaries and on Facebook, saying he was a strong supporter of Catholic education.

Zwaan was a “full-of-life person, a ‘you hear him before you see him’ kind of guy,” his close friend, Stephen Kincade, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Just a great human being; he was everybody’s friend,” Kincade continued. “Big person; loud, loud voice. Big, big laugh.”

Mark Turner, president of WSFS, wrote in an email to the newspaper that Zwaan had a “big presence,” and said he and his friend had bonded over their shared background of being raised in large Catholic families and being reared “by tough nuns, and being street rats.”

Two days after Zwaan's death, on Wednesday, a 74-year-old man who was not identified was knocked over by a large wave and remained underwater for a long period of time. The incident happened at approximately 1:41 p.m. at the 59th Street beach in Sea Isle City, police said.

With help of nearby swimmers, the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol were able to locate the man and pull him up on the beach where they immediately began CPR, police said.

The victim was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City by helicopter. The victim died as a result of injuries on Thursday.

We'll have more information as it comes in.

Zwaan (center, lower) photo courtesy of Stretch Funeral Home