Rescuer speaks about ocean danger after saving child from Belmar rip currents

Thomas Walsh pulled the girl out of the water on 8th Avenue, but the girl's older sister drowned.   

Jim Murdoch

Aug 19, 2025, 4:22 PM

Updated 6 hr ago

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The good Samaritan in Belmar who saved the life of a 10-year-old girl is discussing the dangers of going into the ocean without lifeguards.
Thomas Walsh pulled the girl out of the water on 8th Avenue, but the girl's older sister drowned.
“Two young ladies came up to me and said possibly someone drowning,” said Walsh as he then rushed into the water to help shortly after lifeguards had left for the day.
“I saw a head. A young girl’s face was in the water about 15 feet away. I swam over to her," he said.
The former surfer and corrections officer grabbed the 10-year-old, fully dressed in long clothes, onto the jetty rocks.
“Once I initially got her up on the rocks, she kept telling me about her sister who was still in the water," he said.
By then, dozens of emergency vehicles and first responders arrived on scene. A half hour later, the 13-year-old sister’s lifeless body washed up a block north.
“The sister who did not make it was wearing jeans. I can't imagine wearing jeans in the ocean, soaking wet. I'm sure it doesn't help,” said Walsh.
Walsh says the north side of the 8th Avenue jetty is notoriously dangerous, with strong outgoing rip currents and pockets of deep water. Back on July 3, he saved his first life of the summer in the same spot after guards had also left for the day.
“I was looking at the ocean. I saw a woman she had her lips up to the sky. Her head kicked back so I realized that she's in trouble,” Walsh recalled.
With two after-hours drownings last week at the Jersey Shore, and dozens more rescues, Belmar Mayor Jerry Buccafusco says the town is looking into adding later patrols and wants to see classroom water education – especially in districts – away from the beaches.
“We’re having more people staying on the beach later,” said Mayor Buccafusco. “As an ex-science teacher, that can be a unit in a science class or a health class to just let children know the dangers of the ocean,” he said.
Swimming was not allowed again on Tuesday in Belmar because of the building surf and strong rip currents, which are only expected to get bigger by Wednesday and Thursday.
“I just want people to remember the poor girl and her family, and this can be prevented. Like the media tells you all the time, stay out of the ocean unless lifeguards are around,” added Walsh.