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Rescuers were called to a swimmer in distress near the pier at the Main Avenue beach at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, the ANSWER team said in a Facebook post. The report was quickly upgraded to three swimmers in distress.
When emergency crews arrived, they saw the three swimmers screaming for help. ANSWER rescuers, a Neptune Township police sergeant, and a bystander with a flotation device went into the ocean and saved the three swimmers.
Neptune Township paramedics brought the adult and two children to Jersey Shore University Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.
"We would like to remind all beachgoers to never swim when lifeguards are not present, and especially never enter the water after dark," ANSWER posted. "It is impossible to see rip currents and sudden breaking waves can easily sweep you off your feet, even when the ocean seems calm."
Sunset was at around 7:30 p.m. in Ocean Grove. The community within Neptune Township has lifeguards on duty from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day between mid-June and Labor Day.
ANSWER, which stands for "Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders," is a group of volunteer rescuers in Avon-By-The-Sea, Neptune Township, Neptune City, and Bradley Beach. They respond to water emergencies on the Shark River and the Atlantic Ocean.
The team also has mutual aid agreements in Allenhurst, Spring Lake, and Wall Township.
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