Man goes missing after night ocean swim in Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY — A search is on for a man who jumped went missing near Steel Pier on Tuesday night — the second person to go missing in New Jersey waters in the past week.

The Coast Guard started the search just before 10 p.m. after city police were alerted by a woman who had been with the man under the pier. She told police he went into the ocean around 8:15 p.m. but she left the area before he returned.

Police said it's not known if the 31-year-old man came out of the ocean. As a precaution, a search was started.

The Steel Pier is located on the northern end of the boardwalk behind Resorts, Hard Rock Cafe and Showboat.

The Coast Guard patrol boat Mako was brought in from Cape May and searched all night for the man. A 29-foot response boat and rescue helicopter conducted initial searches. The State Police Marine Unit is also involved in the search, according to spokesman Lt. Ted Schafer.

There was no rip current advisory posted at the time but, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow, there's still a risk.

"A 'low' risk of rips does not mean 'no' risk. Microscale shoreline topography, sand bars, jetties, etc. can cause powerful, unexpected currents to form in the ocean, even on a light surf day. And unfortunately, as we've seen several times this summer, even strong swimmers can easily become overpowered."

The search comes three days after Zuzana Oravcová, a 24-year-old Slovakian woman, drowned after taking a late night swim Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean off Point Pleasant Beach. She was working for the season on a work visa at Jenkinson's.

The body of an African-American woman, meanwhile, washed up the beach in Sea Girt on Sunday. The woman is about 50 to 60 years old, 5 feet 3 inches tall and about 169 pounds. She was wearing black jeans and a grey T-shirt with medium length black hair. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday that they believe the woman has ties to New York City.

In Brielle, a 22-year-old man who was an "invited guest" drowned in a swimming pool on Shore Drive around 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to Brielle Police Chief Michael Palmer. He would not disclose the identity of the man. Palmer referred additional questions to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

In June, four teens died at beaches in Belmar and Atlantic City.  All were swimming at beaches where lifeguards were not on duty.

Meanwhile, off-duty lifeguards saved a 10-year-old from a rip current in the Brick area last week.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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