After latest drowning, Seaside Heights threatens to arrest swimmers

☀️5 swimmers were rescued Monday night in Seaside Heights; one drowned

☀️Seaside Heights officials will evaluate ocean conditions nightly

☀️If conditions warrant, the beach will be completely closed

SEASIDE HEIGHTS — With a heat wave underway and a hurricane possibly impacting New Jersey, this shore town is getting tough with after-hours swimmers.

Five people had to be rescued by firefighters and some lifeguards on Monday night after most of the guards went home, according to Mayor Tony Vaz.

A 30-year-old man from Trenton drowned.

Vaz said that until the end of the summer season, borough officials will confer with the chief of lifeguards about ocean conditions to determine if the gates to the beach will be completely closed after 5 p.m. when lifeguards go off duty. Signs in English and Spanish will discourage swimming if no lifeguard is present.

"We're going to put extra patrols at the closing with police to make sure that the people that are in the water get out if its rough. If they don't listen, they'll be ticketed, and if they don't listen, after the ticket, they'll get arrested," Vaz said.

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A public safety obligation to close

Vaz and the mayor are able to take these steps under state law.

"Anytime there is an endangerment to the public, the municipality has the authority to close the boardwalk, which we've done [on] Memorial Day weekend. We can close the beach," Vaz said. "Now, we don't make this a habit of closing the boardwalk or the beach, but if there's going to be endangerment to the public, we have an obligation to close it."

It's been a busy summer for lifeguards up and down the shore, according to the mayor.

"Our lifeguards are constantly in the water. Our rescue water unit from the police and fire department is helping not only us when we're in trouble, but other communities. So it's been a rough, rough year with the water," Vaz said.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said that while Erin has become the Atlantic's first hurricane of the season, its final path is far from set as of Tuesday evening. New Jersey won't have any impact for another 7 to 10 days.

"Once Erin reaches the eastern edge of the Caribbean, conditions are then favorable for a classic northward turn just before reaching the Bahamas," Zarrow said. "Beyond that, the forecast is highly uncertain for that time frame and beyond."

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