Deadly conditions continue at NJ ocean beaches: Multiple rescues, man dies

Dangerous conditions at the Jersey Shore will continue Monday and for much of the week after over a dozen swimmers and boaters were rescued while a 54-year-old man died.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow pins blame on Tropical Storm Peter, which is about 1,700 miles southeast of New Jersey, and Tropical Storm Rose about 3,000 miles away.

"Neither storm poses a direct threat to the U.S. east coast. But Peter will threaten Bermuda, and could continue our rough surf and rip current concerns through the week," Zarrow said.

There is a high risk of rip currents at the shore through at least Tuesday with 2-3 foot waves.

'Nothing good happens in a rip like this'

A 54-year-old man drowned off Brick Beach early Saturday afternoon after two surfers who came to his aid got the man’s head above water but couldn’t get him to shore, according to Brick police.

The Coast Guard was called and the man taken to Hackensack Meridian Health Ocean Medical Center where he died.

As of Monday morning, Brick police had not identified the man.

The Seaside Heights Fire Department responded to a dozen swimmers over the course of three hours on Saturday, according to a log posted by the Ocean County Sheriff's Department.

Good Samaritans were involved in several rescues on Saturday off Toms River including a male caught in a rip current off the Normandy Beach section who was rescued by three surfboarders, according to Toms River police.

A 22-year-old Connecticut woman was pulled out of the water by friends near the township's Ortley Beach while a 29-year-old Freehold man was also helped by friends.

A 27-year-old woman from Connecticut went under several times before a rescue wave runner from Seaside Heights brought her to shore.

Point Pleasant Beach police chief Joseph Michigan said his department received several calls about swimmers in distress.

"However every time we responded the person was out of the water and refused any assistance," Michigan told New Jersey 101.5.

Boaters also had problems

Six people were  thrown from a from a 30-foot pleasure craft near Ham Island in Little Egg Harbor early Sunday morning when it struck Intercoastal Waterway Marker 92, a fixed navigation marker off Long Beach Island.

The Coast Guard and the Beach Haven Volunteer Fire Department jet ski crews were able to successfully rescue all six boaters from the water around 12:20 a.m. All were hospitalized for treatment of injuries. The Coast Guard warned of debris left in the water from the incident.

The Coast Guard also rescued three people from a small motor boat that started taking on water 3 miles off the coast off Long Branch on Sunday morning.

A rescue swimmer was lowered from a Coast Guard helicopter and helped all three people who were wearing lifejackets climb aboard a motor lifeboat. They were transported to Shark River Marina.

No one on board was injured, according to the Coast Guard.

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