A 21-year-old New Jersey man drowned at a state park in Ocean City on Friday, park officials said.
Nathaniel Figueroa, of Vineland, drowned in the waters off of Corson’s Inlet State Park on Friday after possibly getting caught in a rip current, state park police told NJ.com.
Swimming is not permitted at the state park, officials said.
According to an online obituary, Figueroa, who went by “Nito,” was enrolled at Rowan College of South Jersey.
The drowning is already the 15th this year in New Jersey, NJ.com reported.
At least 21 people have drowned in New York and New Jersey waters since April, amid a national lifeguard shortage that has left crowded beaches unprotected as summer officially kicked off this week.
On Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state will be boosting lifeguard pay to attract more applicants to state beaches.
According to data obtained by the Post, New York City has staffed half as many lifeguards this year compared to last and nearly a third as many as 2016.
Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday he would review lifeguard employment regulations after it was reported that the Department of Citywide Administrative Services has been rejecting waiver requests from the city’s first responders to work as lifeguards, despite having signed off on the paperwork in prior summers.