Heroic Off-Duty Officer Rescues Child at Ocean County Beach
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August 12, 2023Heroic Off-Duty Officer Rescues Child at Ocean County Beach
5-year-old Boy Saved by Off Duty Police Officer
After a mom and her son assisted in the rescue of a five-year-old kid at Amherst Beach in Ocean County, a mother is cautioning beachgoers about the dangers of utilizing floats in the sea during heavy winds.
On August 8, Doreen Merkler and her son William Merkler, a South Brunswick police officer, were traveling toward Amherst Beach from the bay when they observed a young child floating in a white swan float quite a distance away.
Winds gusted to 25 miles per hour that day from an average of 18 miles per hour. The boy's mother and a lifeguard were attempting to wave down the Merklers from the shore, according to Doreen. In order to get the youngster to safety, they turned the boat around, approached him, pulled him close, and then hauled him on board. As they got closer to the coast, William dressed the boy in a life jacket, took him into shallow water, and swam him toward his mother, according to Doreen.He arrived on shore to find police cars, ambulances, and staff waiting for him. As William swam with the youngster in the boat, the Bayville fire rescue arrived to make sure everyone was secure.
Bryson, the boy, was thankfully back in his mother's arms, according to Doreen. She stated, "This little boy managed to stay calm and on that swan float even though he was floating out there almost in the bay." Doreen reported that despite shaking a little bit, the youngster was very sweet and appreciative and refrained from crying.
