One Dead, Six Rescued by Jet Ski in Seaside Heights, NJ Rip Current [WATCH]

A tragic rip current incident in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, left one person dead and six others rescued on Monday evening. The rescue was carried out by the Seaside Heights Fire Department using a jet ski, after a distress call came in at 6:55 p.m. ET, as reported by Fox News.

The victims were caught in a rip current about 100 yards offshore at Webster Avenue Beach, according to Jersey Shore Fire Response. The beach had no lifeguards on duty at the time of the emergency.

The fire department deployed a rescue swimmer on a jet ski, pulling each victim from the water and placing them on a raft before returning them to shore.

BREAKING | Deadly Rip Current in Seaside
Four swimmers caught in a rip current were removed yesterday. One was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Stay updated and #ProtectTheWorld with Citizen.

Seaside Heights, New Jersey pic.twitter.com/EOcPrTUcks

— Citizen (@CitizenApp) August 12, 2025

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Dramatic aerial footage shows the rescuer repeatedly navigating through the current to bring the individuals to safety, where medics were waiting.

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A seventh individual was located in the water and brought ashore, where CPR was performed. That person was transported to Community Medical Center but was later pronounced dead.

The Seaside Heights Fire Department has not issued a formal statement in response to media inquiries.

The National Weather Service reports that there have been 49 rip current deaths nationwide so far this year. Chris Brewster, president of the United States Lifesaving Association, told Fox News Digital that most swimmers are unaware when they are caught in a rip current.

“They notice that they’re further away from the beach than they thought they were, then typically they try to swim back toward the shore and realize they’re making no progress,” Brewster explained. This often leads to panic and exhaustion, which can result in drowning.

Brewster advised that swimmers caught in a rip current should avoid fighting it. “Relax, float and then try to swim out of the rip,” he said.

DEADLY RIP CURRENT: One person drowned, and six others were rescued from the waves off Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on Monday night. The Seaside Heights Fire Department rescued 12 people from rip currents over the weekend. https://t.co/ostGWO0uV3 pic.twitter.com/iyRBSBrxPH

— FOX Weather (@foxweather) August 12, 2025

Brewster co-authored a peer-reviewed study on rip current rescues and drownings in the United States, published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences.

The research found that rip currents account for 81.9% of rescues on surf beaches and may cause over 100 fatal drownings annually.

This was not the first such incident for the Seaside Heights Fire Department’s ocean rescue team. According to FOX 5, they recently saved 12 people from a rip current at a beach that had lifeguards on duty.

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