Rescue crews at the Jersey Shore are worried a repeat situation
will happen after dozens of swimmers were rescued from the ocean this past
weekend. Two did not survive.
Two swimmers lost their lives after getting caught in currents in
Brick and Toms River.
It was a deadly
combination of a top five summer weekend
postseason with little to no lifeguards and offshore tropical systems.
Crews raced up and
down the barrier island in Ocean County pulling people out of the water.
“I can't even tell you how many people, more than I can count,”
says Nicholas Farrell, with Seaside Heights Fire Department Ocean Rescue.
Farrell and the ocean rescue team spent the weekend racing to
towns such as Point Pleasant Beach to Seaside Park.
“It's the busiest we've been all year,” says Tim Farrell. “Last
weekend, we ran 20 calls on the way to those calls coming back from calls we
were getting waved down by residents and beachgoers.”
With similar conditions expected this weekend, the ocean rescue
team says to avoid more tragedies.
“Stay out, stay alive, if there's no lifeguards on duty, don't go
in the water, that's it,” says Pat Dellane.
Lifeguards will be on duty in Seaside Heights through the end of
the month on weekends. Other towns have none or just a skeleton
crew.
The fire department wants to remind residents that even
experienced swimmers found themselves in trouble this past weekend, saying
it could happen to anyone in just seconds.