Thursday, October 1, 2026
Off-duty lifeguards pulled six people to safety on Thursday after they became distressed in the water at Riverside Boulevard beach.
The incident happened at about 2 p.m., after Chief of Lifeguards Paul Gillespie said that two men entered the water and became caught in a rip current. Four friends entered the water to rescue the men, but were also overwhelmed by rough water and were being pulled farther into the ocean.
Swimming is prohibited because lifeguards are no longer on duty after Labor Day. Luckily, a group of off-duty lifeguards, who were attending a nearby body surfing seminar hosted by Hurley and Skudin Surf, rushed over to assist, Gillespie said.
“We were doing the Skudin Surf and Hurley seminar — we looked over at Riverside and saw one person floating out there and two more were pulled out in the rip,” said lifeguard Teddy Reinhard. “Other people went out to save them and were pulled out as well.”
Reinhard, along with Christopher Russo, Nick Smith, Rob Ryan and James Guerin, rushed over to rescue the group. Nearby surfers also ran over to assist.
“They were just out by the end of the jetty,” Reinhard said. “Myself, and four other lifeguards and an EMT, entered the water and went out to help and brought them back in. They’re going to be OK.”
Long Beach firefighters and police also responded to the scene; Reinhard and Gillespie said that the victims were evaluated on the beach, but did not require further medical treatment.
“Thank God my guys were right there,” Gillespie said. “They all did a great job. The water is not as bad as it was the other day, but it still has a lot of rip currents.”
The incident comes after five water rescues were made during the Labor Day weekend and rough surf generated by Tropical Storm Hermine, and all involved non-residents — visitors from Brooklyn, Hempstead and other places.
Gillespie said that the people who were rescued on Thursday were also from out of town. The city has an emergency lifeguard crew that responds to 911 calls with police and firefighters, though Gillespie emphasized that swimming is prohibited when lifeguards are not present.
“Right now, we’re still taking the chairs off the beach and getting everything finished for the end of the season,” he said. “But if the weather keeps up like this, we’re going to have a lot more of these.”
