Crews were out in Seaside Park on Wednesday installing lightning warning systems along the boardwalk.

The town can program the sirens to go off whenever lightning reaches a certain radius in the area. The sirens will go off from dawn to dusk during bad weather. Strobe lights will also be used after hours so late-night beach visitors will be warned about an impending storm.

“Our goal is not to let people know that the storm is here. Our goal is to let people know the storm is approaching – to give them…plenty of time to get to safety,” says Seaside Park lifeguard captain Jim Rankin.

Lightning fatally struck 58-year-old Patrick Dispoto Sunday night when he went to the beach to warn a group of kids that a storm was coming after lifeguards had gone home.

Plans were already in place to install the upgraded lighting system following the death of a Berkeley Township lifeguard in 2021.