Surfing Couple Save Man, Woman Drowning In Belmar

BELMAR, NJ — A pair of Jersey Shore surfers saved an older man and woman from drowning Wednesday afternoon in Belmar.

The young couple is Casey Flaherty, 21, a Monmouth Beach native, and her boyfriend Alex Rosenthal, 20, from California. It was about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday and they were sitting in her car on 11th Avenue in Belmar.

That's when they saw a man and a woman struggling in the ocean.

"I would say they were at least 25 yards out; if not more. I've been a lifeguard so I know what it looks like when it's 'This isn't fun, I need help.' I was on the phone with my mom and I was like I think we need to save these people," she said. "I saw two guys going out (without boards) and then they seemed to get caught in the rip, too."

That's when the boyfriend-girlfriend surfing pair grabbed their surfboards from her car and ran into the water.

She said the couple was an older Russian couple, in their 70s or older — and were definitely in trouble. She said the woman appeared to have more energy, but the man was exhausted.

"That other guy who swam out to save them was just getting his footing. The woman said go help my husband. His eyes were closed; I thought he was unconscious. They did not speak any English; he also could not even get words out. I said we need to get this guy in because he is going to go into cardiac arrest any minute now."

She said she and her boyfriend paddled the man and woman to shore, where paramedics were waiting on the beach.

"We go to the sand and that's when he kissed me on the cheek and said thank you for saving my life."

Flaherty worked every summer through her teenage years as a lifeguard at Monmouth Beach. She is also a surf instructor at Summertime Surf in Bradley Beach. She is building a brand for herself as a surf girl who loves the water and the sport of surfing.

September is called "locals' summer" on the Jersey Shore, but this September has seen an unprecedented amount of rescues and drownings on the Jersey Shore. Flaherty, who is about as Jersey Shore local as it gets, has this message:

"September is locals' summer but it's also hurricane season. We get great waves as surfers, but September is when we get a lot of rip currents. It was a gorgeous day outside that Wednesday, and the water was glass flat. And there was still a rip tide. People have to be careful! Let someone know you are going into the water; bring flotation with you, even if you are a good swimmer and don't go far out."

Here are Flaherty and her boyfriend competing in professional surf competitions on the Jersey Shore: