Mother charged after throwing baby, self into ocean in Atlantic City, police say

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (WPVI) -- Police have charged a 23-year-old woman with second-degree aggravated assault after they say she threw her month-old baby into the ocean in Atlantic City.

Sgt. Monica McMenamin tells The Press of Atlantic City that Patricia Shurig was seen throwing the infant into the water Sunday afternoon near the end of Pacific Avenue in the city's Inlet section. Shurig then jumped in herself.

Both were pulled to safety thanks to the quick thinking of Good Samaritans nearby.

It happened around 5:00 p.m. Sunday.

"It was just a reaction," said Luis Ortiz.

Ortiz and his buddies were near the jetty at Pacific Avenue when he spotted a woman and a baby in the water.

"These rocks are extremely dangerous and this water is extremely dangerous," said Tom Bell.

Witnesses say the woman took the baby girl from her stroller and walked out onto the jetty and jumped in the water in an apparent suicide attempt.

Bell went in after the baby.

"The lady handed me the baby and I did two mouth breaths and turned her over. I patted her on the back and she spit out a lot of water, then I ran down the jetty and gave her to the EMS people," said Bell.

Ortiz spotted the woman about 100 feet from the rocks.

"I said, 'I'm going to go in for you but you can't panic and don't try to grab me' and that's it, I went in after her," he said.

But Ortiz was also in danger and Seth Perkins jumped in to help him get the woman back on the rocks.

"I went out after them and jumped in. The rocks are far apart and there's nothing really to stand on out there so it was hard to get her up out of the water," said Perkins.

Both the baby and the woman were rushed to the hospital.

Their rescuers were left with a mixture of relief and grief.

"You know what I'm thinking about - why? What was going through that lady's mind to put herself and that child in danger like that," said Ortiz.

"Just very bizarre and very sad for her too. I hope she can get some help," said Perkins.

The jetty is so treacherous that local fisherman don't go out on it without special spiked shoes.

On Sunday, they scrambled to the rescue without a thought for their own safety.

"I've been a fireman for 30 years. It's second nature for me but for the other people to extend themselves, it shows that the human spirit is strong, that people do care about others," said Bell.

Shurig is being held on $100,000 bail.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.