Key takeaways:
- Mark Batista, a 39-year-old firefighter from Teaneck, N.J., drowned last week while trying to save his daughter from a rip current at the Jersey Shore.
- Multiple units responded to Sylvania Avenue Beach at 8:38 a.m. after witnesses reported two swimmers in distress.
- The FDNY expressed their condolences to the Batista family, saying, “The FDNY family mourns the loss of Firefighter Mark Batista, who died in the line of duty while off-duty, trying to save his daughter’s life.”
On Sunday, officials confirmed that a New York City firefighter who drowned last week while trying to save his daughter from a rip current at the Jersey Shore was 39-year-old Mark Batista from Teaneck, N.J.
Batista had been a member of the FDNY for 15 years and was off duty when he jumped into the ocean at Avon-by-the-Sea on Friday morning to save his teenage daughter, who was caught in a rip current at the time.
Multiple units responded to Sylvania Avenue Beach at around 8:38 a.m. after witnesses reported two swimmers in distress, according to a Facebook post from the Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders. The teen girl was found approximately 10 minutes later by rescue swimmers and taken to a hospital for medical attention.
Batista was found submerged in water at around 10 a.m. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The FDNY expressed their condolences to the Batista family in a statement, saying, “The FDNY family mourns the loss of Firefighter Mark Batista, who died in the line of duty while off-duty, trying to save his daughter’s life.”
Be First to Comment