Beach officials warn swimmers to use caution at the Shore while lifeguards are off duty
Jay Boyd, of the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol, says that beachgoers should “check the website of their local beach to find out if they’re staffed with lifeguards.”
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Hot temperatures will be sticking around in New Jersey for the next few days. The warm temperatures mean that hundreds of people will still be heading to the beach over the next few days, despite that many beaches no longer have full time lifeguards.
With at least three people drowning at the Jersey Shore over the Labor Day holiday weekend, officials are reminding beachgoers to use caution – especially when lifeguards are not on duty. This is especially true as there are dangerous rip currents in the ocean.
Beachgoer Gianni Fletcher told News 12 that she tried to save two individuals who were struggling in the ocean in Seaside Park.
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“I tried to go out and get them, but the rip currents were very strong, so when you get down to the middle, it puts you down,” she says, adding that she needed to be rescued herself. “I’m a good swimmer, but I started to drown myself and my girlfriend came to come save me.”
One of the people who drowned this weekend was swimming at Seaside Park, where there were no lifeguards on duty.
Jay Boyd, of the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol, says that beachgoers should “check the website of their local beach to find out if they’re staffed with lifeguards.”
