Man Struck Dead By Lightning While Trying To Save Children

A man was killed by lightning on a Jersey Shore beach on Sunday, June 23, after bravely returning to warn a group of children playing in the ocean about an incoming storm.

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

Dispoto became increasingly anxious about the children’s safety after the lifeguards had 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.

“He says, ‘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.’”

The distraught girlfriend claimed that before Dispoto returned to the shore to alert the others, he first helped her to safety.

After fifteen minutes and three unanswered calls to Dispoto, Fussell made his way back to the shore.

According to the outlet, Dispoto was discovered face down in the sand with a stranger standing over him and calling for assistance.

The kids were nowhere to be seen. She hurried over to Dispoto, where she performed CPR on her unconscious partner alongside the stranger’s wife.

After being taken to a nearby hospital, Dispoto was declared dead.

“The doctor said 45 minutes after the brain has no oxygen, you have to unplug him. I said, ‘No, you can’t,’” Fussell shared.

Police confirmed to NJ Advance Media that Dispoto was killed by a lightning strike.

Fussell stated that her unselfish lover was always willing to help others in need, and she wants him to be remembered for his fearlessness in doing good in the world.

“His last act of heroism was his ultimate, and that’s my Patrick Dispoto,” she told the outlet.

Dispoto passed away only three years after lifeguard Keith Pinto, then 19 years old, was killed by lightning while attempting to eject guests from South Seaside Park’s White Sands Beach.

Pinto was murdered by lightning, injuring four beachgoers.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli