Dramatic moment marine veteran Stephen Houser saves swimmer caught in rip tide at Sea Bright beach in New Jersey – as three die in rough waves over the weekend
- A marine veteran saved the life of a drowning swimmer caught in rip tide along the Jersey Shore
- The veteran was videoing himself surfing and captured the dramatic rescue on camera
- Three others have drowned in dangerous currents along the Jersey Shore over Labor Day weekend
This is the dramatic moment a marine veteran rescued a swimmer who was caught in a rip tide in New Jersey.
Stephen Houser, 35, who was out with his family, was filming a YouTube video of him surfing when he spotted Gabe McCabe struggling in the water off Sea Bright beach.
Houser used his surf board as a life raft to haul the struggling swimmer from the dangerous waters.
The surfer told ABC7: ‘With those currents it could have turned out really deadly. Just having that inflatable board that I had, a really buoyant board, right when Gabe grabbed onto that board I knew I had him.’
The rescue came as three swimmers died along the Jersey Sore on Labor Day weekend amid rip tide warnings all along the East Coast.
Houser saved McCabe’s life when he nearly drowned in the rough waters at a beach in Sea Bright, New Jersey
Marine veteran Stephen Houser rescued swimmer Gabe McCabe from drowning in the dangerous rip tide along the Jersey Shore
McCabe told Good Morning America: ‘I’ve never experienced anything like this.’
Houser rescued swimmers in the past and had experience with being caught in rip currents himself and said: ‘your first instinct is panic’.
McCabe said: ‘I’m not sure I’d be here today but thankfully I am.’
Others swimming at beaches along the Jersey Shore over Labor Day weekend weren’t as lucky.
A 22-year-old man drowned at Beach Haven, New Jersey on Sunday Afternoon and was identified as Edwin Antonio Made Sanchez from the Dominican Republic.
Sanchez was swimming in the ocean at Fifth Street Beach in Beach Haven, Ocean County, when he drowned in the rough waves caused by rip currents.
Two other swimmers along with Sanchez were caught in the dangerous rip tides in Beach Haven which prompted lifeguards to create a human chain to search for them.
Lifeguards pulled the two swimmers safely to shore but efforts from the Police and emergency medical services in the area failed to save the 22-year-old man from drowning in the rough waters.
Houser had saved swimmers in the past and said that he’s been caught in rip currents in the past
Houser was surfing nearby with his family and videoing himself when he noticed McCabe struggling and rushed over to save him
Swimmers at Belmar Beach, New Jersey, faced severe rip currents and five swimmers had to be rescued from the drowning this weekend.
A sixth person was pulled from the water by officials but was unresponsive and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
At the Seaside Park Beach in the Jersey Shore six more swimmers were in distress which led to a search by the United States Coastal Guard.
Five of the six swimmers were found and rescued but the sixth person, a 31-year-old male swimmer, is still lost despite overnight efforts from the USGC to find the victim.