Sheriff’s drone drops lifesaving flotation device to swimmer caught in Surf City rip current
By chance, an Ocean County Sheriff’s Office drone was positioned just one block away
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High-tech airborne technology, quick-thinking bystanders and local first responders combined to pull three people from dangerous waters off Long Beach Island after a drone dropped a flotation device to a swimmer stranded in a rip current.
The dramatic incident unfolded in Surf City when an emergency call came out for multiple swimmers in distress, identified as two young girls and a middle-aged man, who were caught in a strong rip current.
By chance, an Ocean County Sheriff’s Office drone was positioned just one block away when the alert was broadcast.
When emergency crews arrived, two good Samaritans and Surf City lifeguards had already reached the water and secured two of the swimmers. However, a third victim was still stranded farther out without assistance.
Officers immediately launched an OCSO drone equipped with a “Restube” self-inflating flotation device directly over the ocean. Operating the unmanned aircraft, the officer navigated over the third victim and deployed the Restube within her reach.
The young swimmer clung to the inflated buoy, keeping her afloat until rescue workers reached her with a surfboard and safely brought her to shore alongside the other two victims.
The successful rescue highlights an ongoing safety initiative by local law enforcement along the Jersey Shore. To combat dangerous rip currents and off-hours beach emergencies, OCSO routinely deploys drone operators on both the north and south barrier islands during peak evening hours to assist local water rescue teams.
