Search suspended for missing swimmer off Seaside Park; man dies in separate rip current incident
SEASIDE PARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- The search for a 23-year-old swimmer who went missing in the ocean off Seaside Park did not resume Sunday, according to the Ship Bottom Police Department.
The swimmer, a 23-year-old man from Palmyra, was reported missing around 1:57 p.m. Friday. Officials said he disappeared about 100 yards offshore near Decatur Avenue and O Street in Seaside Park, New Jersey.
Authorities have not released additional details about the search effort or when operations may resume.
The incident comes as another ocean rescue along the Jersey Shore turned deadly Friday.
According to the Ship Bottom Police Department, emergency crews responded to East 21st Street in Ship Bottom at 2:28 p.m. after four people became caught in a rip current.
Officials said three of the four individuals were able to make it safely back to shore. However, 28-year-old David Maldonado-Ocelotl of Forked River remained missing in the surf.
Fire rescue personnel, assisted by local surfers, located Maldonado-Ocelotl in the water unconscious and not breathing. First responders immediately began lifesaving measures at the scene before he was transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center.
He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Ship Bottom Police Department extended its condolences to Maldonado-Ocelotl's family and loved ones.
The two incidents serve as a reminder of the dangers posed by rip currents and rough ocean conditions, especially as beach season gets underway along the Jersey Shore.
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