New York City is mourning the tragic loss of a firefighter who drowned on the Jersey Shore while on a brave mission to save his teenage daughter swept away by a rip current.
Mark Batista, a fifteen-year veteran of the New York Fire Department (FDNY), lost his life on Friday, according to authorities.
His daughter, fortunately, was successfully rescued.
Tragic Loss: The Frantic Rescue Operation
On Friday morning, around 8:30 am, the distressing call was answered by the Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders Team.
Their mission: to locate two swimmers in trouble at Sylvania Avenue Beach in Avon-by-the-Sea.
Akin to picking out a single face in a bustling city crowd, rescuers quickly located and saved the young girl, but Batista proved more elusive.
In a rescue operation resembling a military-like maneuver, divers, rescue swimmers, jet skis, boats, and drones collaborated in an hour-long search for the father.
At around 10 am, a US Coast Guard helicopter pinpointed a potential location. Like a lighthouse beam guiding lost sailors, this lead directed the rescue swimmers to Batista, who was then promptly removed from the water.
