A 39-year-old man drowned Tuesday while swimming at a Jersey Shore beach.
The incident occurred around noon at an unguarded beach on New York Avenue in Lavallette, according to local police.
Witnesses told News 12 New Jersey they heard the man screaming for help, so they called 911 to report a swimmer possibly caught in a rip current.
When rescuers arrived to the scene roughly five minutes later, the man, identified as a Totowa resident, was found partially submerged roughly 25 yards from shore, police said.
Rescue swimmers from the Lavallette and Seaside Heights fire departments got the man back to land, where they immediately began resuscitation efforts.
He was then taken to the Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead about 45 minutes after the report.
Lavallette Beach Patrol Capt. Jack Caucino told Philadelphia’s NBC 10 the beach no longer has lifeguards after Labor Day.
“Experience doesn’t matter. It’s dangerous and it’s not a place to be this time of year,” he told the station, saying the man had family in the area and likely felt familiar with the ocean.
The drowning comes after three people were rescued from the same spot on Sunday, according to News 12. Last month, two other drownings occurred at unguarded beaches in Ocean and Monmouth counties.
