Beachgoer dies after being struck by lightning while trying to save kids during thunderstorm
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A man in New Jersey was killed by lightning while trying to warn kids playing at a beach that a storm was on its way.
The tragic incident happened in Seaside Park, New Jersey, on Sunday June 23, according to News 12 New Jersey.
Patrick Dispoto, 59, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was found lying unconscious on the beach near J Street in Seaside Park, New Jersey.
Ruth Fussell, Dispoto's girlfriend, told News 12 that they were at the shore when they learned that a storm was approaching. Dispoto escorted Fussel to her car for safety but reportedly told her that he wanted to run back to the shore to warn some children and other beachgoers that a storm was on the way.
Fussell said that the lifeguards had already left for the evening, which is why Dispoto felt the need to warn others on the beach.
The storm was already on shore by the time Dispoto got back to the beach, and at around 7.30pm, Dispoto was hit by lightning and found unresponsive. Rescuers attempted CPR but he was declared dead at a local hospital.
According to Seaside police, no one in the area witnessed the lightning hit Dispoto but several witnesses described numerous lightning strikes during the course of the storm.
"There was lightning all around," Karen Kroon, a Seaside Park borough administrator, told Asbury Park Press. Seaside Police confirmed to NJ.com on Tuesday that Dispoto was killed by a lightning strike.
New Jersey 101.5 chief meteorologist Dan Zarrow said that all thunderstorms have the potential to produce lightning. He warned that if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to a storm to get hit by lightning.
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