One Woman Pulled From Rip Current in Avon-by-the-Sea Is In Critical Condition:

AVON BY THE SEA - One of the two women who were sucked out to sea by a strong rip current on Monday at the unguarded Garfield Avenue beach is in critical condition at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, according to nj.com.

Nisha Desai, of Woodland Park, and a Linden woman, both 21, were rescued by Good Samaritans, who brought them to shore, Avon-by-the-Sea police said.

Desai is in critical condition, a spokeswoman for Jersey Shore Medical Center said.

One of the her rescuers, Carin Diaz, 32, of Clifton, was also hospitalized, but has since been released, according to a hospital spokeswoman and police.

When police arrived at the Garfield Avenue beach at about 4:20 p.m., Diaz and the two women had already been pulled from the water by other beachgoers. Desai had begun screaming for help while she was in the water. The other woman, Perle Desire, Linden, could not get Desai to safety and began having trouble in the water as well, police said.

Diaz and others managed to pull Desai onto the beach by using a boogie board, according to the report.

Lifeguards have been on duty on Avon beaches on weekends since Memorial Day weekend but don't start working weekdays until June 20.

"Upon arrival, swimmers were pulled from the water and transported to the hospital," Avon-by-the-Sea police said in a Facebook post. "Our thoughts are with all involved."

Lifeguards don't begin patrolling the waters in Avon-by-the-Sea on weekdays until next week so bystanders on the beach went into the ocean when they heard two women scream that they were drowning, NBCNewYork.com reported.

Image: Patch file photo