Lifeguard Honored At Candlelight Vigil In South Seaside Park

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ — They had started gathering before dark, candles in hands, around the lifeguard stand in the sand. At first, a few. Family. Close friends.

By 8 p.m., dozens of people had gathered loosely around the stand on the 21st Avenue beach in South Seaside Park, surrounding the family and friends of Keith Pinto, the lifeguard who was killed Monday when he was struck by lightning at the Berkeley Township beach.

Burning candles in jars flickered, their flames mostly protected by the crowd from the slight breeze on the beach as they lit up the photos and mementos placed in the sand nearby. Flowers were piled next to the stand; and atop a wooden post that the lifeguard stand was secured to, someone had placed a cross.

Pinto, 19, was a 2020 graduate of Toms River High School North and was preparing for his sophomore year at Ocean County College. His sister, Tina, told 6ABC that he was planning to go into the Marines.

"He was a perfect kid. He was amazing," she told 6ABC. "He was going to Ocean County College because he wanted a degree first before he went."

Tuesday night, teens and young adults clad in shirts bearing "SURF RESCUE" and Berkeley Township Beach Patrol were joined by lifeguards from several towns as they gathered to honor Pinto's memory.

It wasn't just the young who attended. There were many older faces in the crowd — older lifeguards and first responders, but also people who were beachgoers who depend on the lifeguards to keep them safe.

Most who attended stood silently, sometimes wiping away tears, as the waves crashed on the shoreline and dampened most of the sounds and conversations.

When the waves couldn't drown out the grief, friends wrapped their arms around those in need, trying to provide comfort.

Kevin Pinto, Keith's twin brother, and their sister, Tina, sat in the sand near the lifeguard stand, with friends and other lifeguards surrounding them. Mark Dykoff, director of the Berkeley Township Recreation Department, and Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen Amato were in attendance, too, and Kevin Pinto reminisced with Dykoff about their work as lifeguards.

"He loved being on the stand," Kevin Pinto said. "He loved seeing the same patrons every day."

Dykoff told Kevin Pinto how grateful he was for the brothers' service to the township, and gently teased him.

"I never knew you were twins until today," Dykoff said with a brief smile that gave way to visible grief.

"It would be impossible to get it all into words how much our friend meant to us, but we all know how amazing he was," Chase Vander Vliet wrote on the GoFundMe page he organized to help Pinto's family with the funeral expenses. "Keith has left behind an overwhelming amount of amazing memories that will live in our hearts forever."

That was apparent Tuesday night, as murmurs of "remember when" could be heard from time to time.

The crowd surrounded the lifeguard stand for more than an hour, people coming and going simply to be present, even when they stood on the edges of the crowd. Someone created a cross in the sand of shells and added candles to it as well, a secondary memorial to Pinto.

"This young person was out there every day protecting the lives of others," Amato said Monday night. "Our lifeguard teams, like so many along the shore, develop special connections with our community throughout the summer, which makes this loss even greater."

The Toms River Regional Board of Education honored Pinto with a moment of silence Tuesday during its special board meeting.

"Hearing and reading from those who knew Keith best remind us that he was — and will forever remain — an integral part of the High School North community, someone who was a true source of joy and who lifted the spirits of everyone around him," Toms River Regional School District spokesman Mike Kenny said.

Pinto was knocked from the lifeguard stand when he was struck, News 12 reported. The guard sitting next to him survived and only suffered a temporary loss of hearing. Lifeguards performed CPR but ultimately could not save Pinto. Seven others were injured but were recovering, officials said.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the GoFundMe campaign can click here.

With reporting by Kimberlee Bongard

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