Seaside Park Residents Help Pull Off After-Hours Ocean Rescues

Heavy surf leads to dangerous rip currents. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Seaside Park residents helped save three different swimmers who found themselves caught in rip currents over the weekend, with first responders administering oxygen once they got back to shore.

Local surfer Quinn Tovey and beachgoer Frank Cherichello are credited with the day’s heroics, which played out after 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, when the three swimmers found themselves struggling to make it back to shore. Fellow resident Bob Hopkins relayed the story to Shorebeat:

“Quinn Tovey was lying on the beach with his surfboard beside him when a stranger came to him and asked if he could borrow his surfboard. Quinn said yes, not knowing the reason for the request. After the individual left with his board, Quinn got up to see where he was going and saw some swimmers in distress. He ran after the guy with his surfboard and asked him if he was a good swimmer and the guy said no. Quinn then took the board and paddled out to the swimmer in distress and told him to hang onto the board and then paddled him safely to shore.”

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Meanwhile, another emergency was also underway:

“At the same time, Frank Cherichello had just come out of the ocean after his last swim of the day, and he heard a cry for help and immediately went in to rescue him. When he got to him, he saw that the gentleman was in severe distress with pale skin and purple lips, indicating that he was on his way to drowning. Frank shouted instructions to him and kept him conscious while, with great difficulty, he pulled him ashore. The swimmer at that point was in a trance and non-communicative.”

Fortunately, as Hopkins told us, the situation had a happy ending:

Both swimmers were given oxygen on the beach and then transported by ambulance for further treatment. A third swimmer was also rescued by others and needed no medical attention.

Both Quinn and Frank are Seaside Park residents and regulars at the 11th Avenue beach.