Bystanders, police rescue girl in unguarded water in Belmar, NJ

BELMAR — Bystanders and police helped rescue a young girl from the unguarded water of a Monmouth County beach early Wednesday afternoon

The girl was screaming for help at the 8th Avenue beach around 12:30 p.m. and got the attention of two swimmers who ran into the water with their boogie boards, a witness told New Jersey 101.5. The boogie boarders were with her when police arrived and successfully brought her to shore.

"It was a scary few minutes of her screaming for help," the witness said.

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden told New Jersey 101.5 the girl was OK after her rescue.

Sunny skies, potentially dangerous conditions

Lifeguards in Belmar went off duty for the season after Labor Day weekend. Belmar police will patrol the beach in the off season on days like Wednesday where temperatures climb into the 80s under sunny skies.

"If there's no lifeguard on duty you should not go in the water at all especially this month. There's a lot of hurricanes out there pushing the water, there's rip currents, it's just very dangerous," Robert Connor, Captain of the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol told New Jersey 101.5.

If you do go near the water especially with a child Connor suggests going to a bay beach and holding the child's hand at all times.

"It's a very dangerous time of the year. We are saying in Seaside Heights 'stay out, stay alive,'" Connor said.

Five people were rescued from waters off Sandy Hook on Saturday and two of them were taken to a hospital, authorities said. Lifeguards have gone off duty at the Gateway National Recreation Area for the season as well.

A week earlier, a 17-year-old male swimmer died after he and two teen companions were pulled from the ocean while swimming at a nearby, unguarded beach.

Annette Petriccione and Vin Ebenau contributed to this report

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ