Family of 4 rescued from ocean in Wildwood, New Jersey

WILDWOOD, N.J. (WPVI) -- A family of four had to be rescued from the ocean after getting caught in a rip current in Wildwood, New Jersey.

The rescue happened shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday on the beach near Schellenger Avenue.

The family of four went swimming but lifeguards were not yet on duty.

"I saw there were people in distress. I blew my whistle to notify other lifeguards," said Brett Byles.

As lifeguards from the Wildwood Beach Patrol were reporting to work, that's when they spotted the four people - one female and three males.

The lifeguards were able to rescue all four family members but one of the male victims was unconscious when pulled from the water.

"There was one individual who was unconscious at the time. We assessed the situation and there were no signs of life so we started CPR right away. About the third cycle in, he came to and started showing signs of life, started coughing a little bit of water. We put him in the rescue position and he was ready to go," said John Rauchut.

When he returned to the patrol headquarters, Rauchut got a hero's welcome from his fellow guards for administering CPR that helped save the man's life.

"It was an adrenaline booster. A lot of training kicked in every day because we go over it every day," she said.

The head of patrol says the family was lucky and says the incident underscores the dangers of swimming in the ocean when lifeguards aren't on duty.

"Lifeguards use preventative measures to keep people in safe areas. When they're not here, it's risky," said Steve Stocks, Chief of the Wildwood Beach Patrol.

All four were taken to Cape May Regional Hospital.

They are all expected to survive.