A 39-year-old man drowned Tuesday while swimming at a Jersey Shore beach.

The incident occurred around noon at an unguarded beach on New York Avenue in Lavallette, Ocean County, police said.

Witnesses told News 12 New Jersey they heard the man screaming for help, so they called 911 to report a swimmer possibly caught in a rip current.

When rescuers arrived roughly five minutes later, the man, identified as a Totowa resident, was found partially submerged roughly 25 yards from shore, police said.

Rescue swimmers from the Lavallette and Seaside Heights fire departments got the man back to land, where they immediately began resuscitation efforts.

He was then taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead about 45 minutes after the report.

Lavallette Beach

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