Long Beach swimmer rescued by fire department

Members of the Long Beach Fire Department rescued a 19-year-old male swimmer in distress at Lafayette Boulevard on Thursday night after a passerby called in the incident.

The LBFD was alerted for the water rescue at 7:26 p.m. — arriving just behind the police department — as Fire Captain Jake Jacobi and firefighter Brian Jones entered the water and retrieved the man, who was found clinging to the rocks and unable to swim. He was transported to South Nassau Emergency Department for further evaluation and released shortly after with minor bumps and scratches.

“He was stuck out, he went a little too far, he got pushed up against the jetty and was holding on to the jetty,” Fire Chief R.J. Tuccillo said, adding that swimmers often “lose” when straying outside of marked areas. “…People need to stop messing with these riptides and these currents.”

Lifeguards work with the fire department on ocean rescues, as Tuccillo said they are rather common. He added that the rescue was Jacobi’s second of the year, and that it is up to beachgoers to use good judgment while in the water.

“This is what they’ve got to learn,” Tucillo said. “If there’s no lifeguard out there, stay out of the water. There is a reason.”