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Subscribe to RSSFriends sob on the shore as hopes fade in finding an 18-year-old swept out to sea by unusually strong current. WNBC's Gus Rosendale reports.
Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET: Two swimmers who vanished in rip currents off the New Jersey shore were found drowned Thursday.
Both incidents occurred at beaches where no lifeguards were on duty.
Garrett Giberson, public information officer for the Asbury Park fire department, told NJ.com, website of the Star-Ledger newspaper. “Basically the bottom line is this: When lifeguards are off duty, stay out of the water. Rip tides are dangerous and obviously deadly. It's not worth your life."
The Asbury Park Press reportedthat authorities believe the body recovered in about 15 feet of water 200 yards offshore in Asbury Park’s 2nd Avenue beach is Chazmin Miles, 23, of Irvington.
Miles disappeared while trying to help his younger sister, who was rescued Wednesday evening.
See the Star-Ledger photo gallery
Hot in Northeast? 'You ain't seen nothing yet'
The body of Bestavros Faris, 18, of Bayonne, was pulled early Thursday afternoon from waters about 150 yards offshore from the O Street beach in Seaside Park, where he disappeared a day earlier, NBCNewYork.com reported.
Andrew Mills / The Star-Ledger
Asbury Park firefighter Brett Nielson pauses as he prepares to enter the surf, Thursday, to search for the body of a 23-year-old man who disappeared while swimming after lifeguards had gone off duty Wednesday in Asbury Park, N.J. The body was recovered after a short search by divers.
"The wave grabbed him far away from me," friend Andrew Messiha told NBCNewYork.com. "I was standing near the shore. He called for help, but no one came because there was no lifeguard."
Faris and his friends were sucked into the currents late Wednesday afternoon; rescuers managed to retrieve three swimmers.
Faris' friends and family had kept vigil on the beach into the night, crying and praying as they waited for news but declined to speak with NBCNewYork.com after the body was found.
"It's very unusual to deal with these rip currents this time of year," Seaside Park Police Chief Francis Larkin told NBCNewYork.com. "Usually, it's hurricane season in September."
Newark, N.J., on Wednesday saw a record high of 98 degrees and relentless heat was expected to continue Thursday.
Strong rip currents kept rescuers busy elsewhere along the Jersey Shore. In Perth Amboy, two children were rescued from the water by a 36-year-old bystander and his 17-year-old son. The rescuers administered CPR to one child.
Andrew Mills / The Star-Ledger
Asbury Park firefighters, N.J. State Police Troopers and U.S. Coast Guard personnel work Thursday to recover a body about 200 yards offshore at the 2nd Avenue beach in Asbury Park, where a 23-year-old man disappeared while swimming after lifeguards had gone off duty yesterday.
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Any time there is a low pressure system parked off shore like the one that has been off the eastern seaboard since last week you are going to have rip currents there Chief
Were the victims any of the members of the Jersey Shore cast, because I personally think that should be celebrated if they were
They are probably too busy arguing over which one of them knocked up Snookie
Those poor people. We don't know why they went there, and it makes no sense to say how they should have known. I live in MI, BUT I have vacationed to beaches with oceans and have heard about riptides. I pray that people become more aware of these riptides.
Damn, I was hoping it would be Snooki too, or even Bon Jovi.
My condolences to the families of these young people.
But, in this day and age, not being aware of rip currents and how to survive them puts you at serious risk if you swim in the ocean. It doesn't matter if there is a lifeguard, red flags, warning signs....if you don't know how to survive a rip current and still insist on swimming anyway, you are seriously tempting fate.
The flag system is great and all, but there should be no level of comfort attached to whatever color indicates it's safe. Rip currents can develop pretty quickly, before anyone has time to change the flag. Swimming on guarded beaches provides a bit more safety, but these beaches tend to be crowded, you are still going to be on your own until someone can reach you.
I've been caught in 2, the first was at Daytona many years ago. Thankfully, I am a very strong swimmer, didn't panic, and remembered to swim parallel..... It was still pretty freaky though... The second was just this year in N. Carolina, not a very powerful one, and having been through it before was not a big deal whatsoever.
The ocean is beautiful, but swimming in it is not the time or place to relax and let your guard down....it does not forgive those who don't respect it.
warnings are posted for a reason. but today people are just to stupid to heed them. when you take chances you put your life in danger and the lives of the brave men and women who have to attempt to rescue these morons.
I'm going to be very insensitive and ask why it couldn't have been someone from jersey shore that was washed away.
Renee people here that are natives of New Jersey are not like that . These people from that series come from Staten Island, Brooklyn. They are what we call Bennie's. We are forever scorned by that bull@!$%# show.Trust me the real New Jersey people don't behave like the idiots in that show. Bennie's gooooo home!!
As a person that has lived in NJ all his life, I can tell you that what mountainbike8265 said is 100% true. Many people from NY rent beach homes at the shore and go to the local bars at night. This is how this idiotic show started.
its very sad that these people are losing thier lives and im sorry for there families that have to deal with this, but here is a great idea.........STOP GOING IN THE WATER AFTER HRS, AND IF YOUR NOT A STRONG SWIMMER THAN STAY OUT OF THE OCEAN AND STICK TO THE POOLS OR A LAKE. THE OCEAN WILL TAKE YOUR LIFE IN A SECOND SO BENNIES STAY AWAY FROM THE DAM OCEAN....STAY AT HOME ...THANK YOU
So, I should feel sorry for them , WHY!!
I'm right in Asbury Park N.J. The rip current is brutal this year. This year for some reason is the worst year ever.
i have a fantastic idea for all the bennies, stick to pools and lakes..stop comming down to the jersey shore and going in the ocean after hrs. the ocean will take your life in a blink of an eye as people have seen in the past 2 weeks, if your not a strong swimmer or never bin in the ocean before stay out. do me a favor stay the hell up north and away from our beaches and ruining it for everyone that grew up on the beach.. thank you,
When you know what to look for, you can either spot rip currents or possible rip currents. I have stood on some absolutely beayutiful, but unpopulated beaches on the Hawaiian Island of Moloka'i. Why were these beautiful beaches unpopulated? Because the natives know the rip currents there are dangerous. I have seen the Great Lakes, the Atlantic and the Pacific as well as the Gulf of Mexico. the Atlantic not only is very dangerous, but also ugly, especially on the Jersey Coast. But then.. beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This is sad. Such a young life taken.
One less rag head to pollute....errr uhhhh procreate on the earth..awesome....I get a woody over this stuff
Our condolences to the families of these young people. It's been almost a year that my brother drown in Lake Michigan due to rip currents (a strong swimmer too). He was trying to help a friend who was in trouble.
I clicked on this hoping it was snooki, sad story though
Shouldn't have been swimming when they have warning flags of high risk rip tides.See what happens when you don't pay attention to caution flags and signs on the ocean front.
i feel bad nd sad for the family of those that died, but this thing is preventable. we just have to take some RESPONSIBILITY nd LEARN no to be RECKLESS nd CARELESS. people esp the young ones SEEM to Tempt fate always . when there are hurricanes or storm,WHY is it that the more they ATTEMPT to swim those big waves. the media has been educating us about Rip Currents BUT it seems we just IGNORE it. we ignoring those warnings CAN sometimes ENDANGER the LIFE of the person trying to save us