Belmar swimmer drowns off 8th Avenue beach as first responders rescue multiple others
BELMAR - A man in his 20s has died after apparently drowning in the Atlantic Ocean off the 8th Avenue beach on Monday, police said.
The victim was found about 1:22 p.m. almost an hour after a group of swimmers required rescuing in the area of the jetty there, police said.
Multiple good Samaritans on the beach had attempted to rescue the swimmers, but were unable to do so, police said.
Belmar police, lifeguards and water rescuers arrived on scene after the initial 12:29 p.m. call to authorities and were able to pull the swimmers from the ocean, police said.
One person was unaccounted for and additional emergency personnel were summoned to the beachfront to expand the search from the victim’s last known location in the water. Ultimately, lifeguards recovered his body from the sea. He was taken by ambulance to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he was pronounced dead, police said.
One person who was rescued was taken to Jersey Shore for additional treatment, police said.
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A full investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway, police said.
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No lifeguards were on duty Monday and large signage is posted along the Boardwalk to alert beachgoers of that fact. Full-time beach patrol coverage of Belmar does not start until the end of the week.
No information was released Tuesday on the identity of the victim or the other bathers involved.
The Belmar Police Department, Belmar Beach Patrol, Belmar Water Rescue Team, Belmar EMS, Neptune Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders (ANSWER), Neptune Drone Unit and Marine Unit, Manasquan Fire Department Marine Unit, Sea Girt Beach Patrol, Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office, the New Jersey State Police and Coast Guard, all responded to the scene, police said.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Belmar NJ drowning: One man dead, others rescued from Atlantic Ocean
