A Marine veteran saved the life of a man who was being swept under by a rip tide current at Long Beach Island by using his surfboard as a life raft.
Stephen Houser, 35, was filming a YouTube video in the waves when he saw swimmer Gabe McCabe being dragged under by the strong currents. Video footage showed Mr McCabe was able to cling onto Mr Houser’s board, and then brought him back to safety.
The close-call experience happened over Labour Day weekend on Long Beach Island in New Jersey; while sunny weather brought people out to the beach, the remnants of Hurricane Idalia and other tropical storms made the sea very rough.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this, it just zapped the energy right out of you,” Mr McCabe told WABC.
The ex-Marine spotted Mr McCabe struggling to keep afloat in the water and swam over desperately to save the man from drowning in the rip current.
Mr McCabe is now calling his saviour “a friend for life”, after what he did for him. “Steve was definitely the man of the moment yesterday for me. I’m not sure if I’d be here today [without him], but thankfully I am,” says Mr McCabe.
Mr Houser said that rip currents can often turn out “really deadly,” he said: “I’ve been in those rip currents before too, it’s scary. Your first instinct is to panic.”
While Mr McCabe was able to be pulled to safety, others unfortunately drowned in the rip currents along the Jersey Shore.
It has been reported that three people have drowned due to the strong currents.
Three people died in the rip currents over Labour Day weekend— (Erika Volchik/ABC)
A human chain made up of lifeguards and fellow swimmers, overseen by an emergency helicopter, was formed at Beach Haven Ocean County, trying to search for a submerged 22-year-old man. Despite efforts, the man identified as Edwin Antonio Made Sanches, was taken by the rough waves and drowned.
Two other lives were also devastatingly claimed by the rip currents over Labour Day weekend.
Police responded to a call about six swimmers in distress at Seaside Beach. The US Coast Guard were able to locate five people, but despite looking overnight they were unable to find the final 31-year-old male swimmer.
High and moderate rip current warnings across the East Coast— (FOX Weather)
In Belmar, police also received a report of another group of six swimmers at 6th Avenue Beach. Five swimmers were rescued, but they found a 42-year-old male swimmer unresponsive; they took him to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Beaches all along the East Coast have all been issued a high or a moderate rip current alert due to the ongoing after-effects of the storms.
