finediony New Jersey news: 1 found dead; Search continues for other missing swimmer

Thursday, June 21, 2012

1 found dead; Search continues for other missing swimmer

Eyewitness NewsPERTH AMBOY, N.J. (WABC) -- The summer scorcher is sending thousands of people seeking relief from the blistering heat to the Jersey shore. But with the cool water, the heat and humidity are creating dangerous rip currents.

The search for two missing swimmers resumed Thursday, one day after dozens of people had to be rescued. The body of a 23-year-old Irvington man who went missing off the beaches of Asbury Park was recovered Thursday morning, but crews continued to search for an 18-year-old from Bayonne who vanished in the waters off Seaside Park around 3:30 p.m.

The Asbury Park victim had swam out to save his sister, who was pulled from the water by lifeguards. The heat led to record crowds, and all those extra swimmers kept lifeguards busy. At least 30 swimmers were rescued Wednesday.

A father and son are being called heroes after they saved a little girl and her cousin from the rough currents of the Raritan Bay.

The current pulled the two children out past the pier in Perth Amboy. That's when Hector Hernandez and his son Joshua went in and rescued 9-year-old Laneija Smith and the other child.

"I saw her go down, and that's when I knew it wasn't a joke," Hector Hernandez said. "And that's when I jumped in."

Joshua swam even farther out to save the cousin.

"I seen them jumping up and down, and then I seen them go under, and then they jumped back up one more time and take a breath," he said. "So I just jumped off and went in. I guess it was just instinct. Because I have a little brother, so I would've felt terrible if something happened...I wouldn't call myself a hero. I just did what was right."

Laneija is now in the intensive care unit at St. Peter's University Hospital. Doctors expect her and her cousin to make full recoveries.

"If he didn't have enough courage and step up as a man and go in there and save my daughter, she would not be alive," dad Thomas Smith said.

Officials warn swimmers against venturing too far out. They stress that if you get sucked into a current, do not swim against it. Move with it until you can safely swim to shore.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM NEWSCOPTER 7 OVER SEASIDE PARK

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts