Two men died in separate rip current incidents along the Jersey Shore on Friday — both at unguarded Ocean County beaches, both within hours of each other — while a juvenile was shot and killed in Elizabeth the same night.
At approximately 2:28 p.m., police, firefighters, and EMS crews responded to East 21st Street in Ship Bottom after four swimmers were caught in a rip current, according to the Ship Bottom Police Department. Three made it safely to shore before first responders arrived. The fourth, 28-year-old David Maldonado-Ocelotl of Forked River, remained in the surf. Fire rescue personnel, assisted by local surfers, located him unconscious and not breathing. Life-saving measures were initiated on the beach before he was transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. “The Ship Bottom Police Department extends its condolences to David’s family and loved ones,” the Ship Bottom Police Department said.
That same afternoon, a 23-year-old Palmyra man went missing in the ocean off Seaside Park near Decatur Avenue and O Street, according to Sgt. Andrew Casole of the Seaside Park Police Department. Water rescue teams from Seaside Park and Seaside Heights, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, searched until darkness forced a suspension at 9:30 p.m. The man’s identity was not released; his family had been notified. Local law enforcement sources described the operation as a recovery mission…