“Literally two minutes after I saw the lightning, every cop car in this town was screaming down the street.' “It looked a little cloudy in one direction but clear as anything in the other direction, and it was the first lightning of the day,” he said. Pete Tortorelli was tending an outdoor bar a block away from the beach when, he said, lightning struck seemingly out of nowhere. to a beach on 21st Avenue in Berkeley Township, near the entrance to Island Beach State Park, which is just south of Seaside Park. “We were at the beach today and are grateful for what you've done for us by keeping us safe at the beach,' the note read. The identities of the lifeguard who died, as well as the others hurt by the lightning strike were not immediately released.Ī handwritten note in purple ink was left with flowers Monday night at the base of a lifeguard stand at the beach. “On behalf of myself and our entire community, I offer our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of this young man,' he said. Our lifeguard teams, like so many along the shore, develop special connections with our community throughout the summer, which makes this loss even greater. “This young person was out there every day protecting the lives of others. “This is a tragic and heartbreaking day for our town and the entire Jersey Shore,' Amato said in a statement. Four of those struck were lifeguards and four others were beachgoers. Amato said his township's beaches will be closed Tuesday through Thursday as crisis counselors are made available to beach staff and lifeguards.

Lightning strike new jersey shore