Heroic Visitor Fatally Struck by Lightning While Warning Children at Jersey Shore Beach

Patrick Dispoto died on a Jersey Shore beach trying to warn kids of an approaching thunderstorm.

A visitor was fatally struck by lightning on a Jersey Shore beach on Sunday after heroically returning to warn a group of children playing in the water of an impending storm.

Patrick Dispoto, 59, had just left J Street Beach at Seaside Park in Ocean County with his girlfriend, Ruth Fussell, around 7 p.m. when he noticed ominous clouds quickly approaching, according to News 12 New Jersey.

Dispoto, from Toms River, became increasingly concerned for the children’s safety as the lifeguards had already left for the day. "He said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ I said, ‘You have no business going back,’” Fussell told the outlet about her final conversation with her boyfriend.

The J Street Beach at Seaside Park in Ocean County, where Dispoto was fatally struck by lightning.

“He said, ‘I’m just going to warn these kids because the sky is going to open. I’m just going to warn these kids, one minute.’ I said, ‘No.'” Despite her protests, Dispoto first ensured Fussell's safety before heading back to the beach to warn the children.

Fifteen minutes and three unanswered calls later, Fussell returned to the beach, only to find Dispoto face down in the sand with a stranger standing over him, shouting for help. The children were no longer in sight, the outlet reported.

Dispoto and his girlfriend, Ruth Fussell, had just left the beach before he decided to go back and warn the kids of the coming storm.

Fussell and the stranger's wife began performing CPR on Dispoto, who was later transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police confirmed to NJ Advance Media that Dispoto's death was caused by a lightning strike.

Fussell described her boyfriend as selfless and always willing to help others, wanting him to be remembered for his fearless acts of kindness. "His last act of heroism was his ultimate, and that’s my Patrick Dispoto," she told the outlet.

Dispoto's death comes just three years after 19-year-old lifeguard Keith Pinto was fatally struck by lightning while trying to get visitors off White Sands Beach in South Seaside Park. Four beachgoers were injured in the incident.

The mile-and-a-half-long beach at Seaside Park will soon be equipped with three state-of-the-art lightning warning systems to ensure the safety of beachgoers.

Following Pinto's death, a section of the beach was named in his honor. Seaside Park is currently installing three lightning warning systems to cover its mile-and-a-half-long beach, which were approved in April. These systems will send out warnings before storms reach the shoreline, giving beachgoers ample time to reach safety.

Since 1959, an average of 86 people have been killed yearly by lightning strikes in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. The average person has a 1-in-600,000 chance of being struck by lightning during their lifetime. Even the weakest thunderstorms can produce lightning, and most fatal strikes happen while the victim is swimming, hiking, or playing golf, according to the agency.