Father drowns while rescuing son from ocean in Atlantic City
First responders warn of rip current risks. AccuWeather’s Kena Vernon shows us ways of staying safe while spending time out in the water.
A father died while rescuing his child at the beach in Atlantic City on Monday morning, officials reported. Thanh Bui, the 58-year old father, drowned while saving his 11-year old son, who was able to make it to shore.
The Atlantic City Beach Patrol reported the incident occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. EDT, and beach patrol was not on duty yet.
Bui's name was released by authorities on Tuesday. He and his family were vacationing in Atlantic City.
Beachgoers on the shoreline of Atlantic City N.J. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
According to a release from the police department a former police officer, Jim Glorioso Jr., noticed the father struggling in the ocean. Glorioso got in the water with a boogie board and located the man after he had gone underwater and attempted to pull him on the boogie board.
"The son was able to make it back to shore, but the father was going further out," Glorioso told ABC News . "Instinct took over. I dropped all my stuff and I began to swim out as fast as I could... I was hoping it was a log because he was floating. I pulled him up on the boogie board and tried to give him CPR, but with the waves and a small boogie board it was almost impossible to do so."
Glorioso also added that he wanted to share his involvement and experience to shed light on the city's "lifeguard issue."
Both men were assisted to shore, but the father was unresponsive. Firefighters immediately began performing CPR.
The father and the child were transported to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center where Bui was pronounced dead.
"When I finally got to shore, I saw his family, his wife and three or four kids, sitting there, crying hysterically," Glorioso told ABC News. "His whole family saw him pass away... I can guarantee you that if there was a lifeguard on duty at the time, that guy would have been saved."
A moderate risk of rip currents was in effect for Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Swimmers should always remain cautious at all times because rip currents can form anytime of the year, even on calm, sunny days.
In mid-July, a father from Durham, North Carolina, died while trying to rescue his children from rough water at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. According to WFMY News, the father told people "Forget about me. Get my kids."
A Tennessee father died earlier in July while rescuing his three daughters who were caught in a riptide on the Florida coast. The three daughters were saved, but the father lost consciousness after the rescue, Fox News reported.
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