An off-duty New York City firefighter drowned trying to save his daughter from a rip current at the Jersey Shore, FDNY sources said Saturday.
Mark Batista drowned Friday morning as he tried to rescue his teenage daughter who had been swept away in a riptide in Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J., in Monmouth County south of Asbury Park.
Batista, 39, got caught in the current himself and was pulled under. His daughter was saved by first responders.
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“In the wake of this morning’s unfortunate incident in Avon where a man drowned while trying to rescue his daughter after she was caught in rough surf, we once again caution all to please NOT go in the water when there are no lifeguards on duty,” the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.
According to the post, members of the U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Maritime Emergency Response Team and other local first responders helped in rescuing the teenage girl, but it was too late to save Batista.
“We are heartbroken to learn about the death of Firefighter Mark Batista who died Friday while swimming at the Jersey Shore,” said FDNY spokeswoman Amanda Farinacci.
Batista, a 15-year veteran of the FDNY, was a member of Engine 226 on State St. in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. He previously served as an EMT.
“We join his family in mourning his tragic passing,” Farinacci said.