Home Care In Manasquan, NJ

The young couple is Casey Flaherty, 21, from Monmouth Beach, and her boyfriend Alex Rosenthal?, 20, who are professional surfers:

|Updated Fri, Sep 22, 2023 at 12:58 pm ET

BELMAR, NJ — A pair of Jersey Shore surfers saved an older man and woman from drowning Wednesday afternoon in Belmar.

The young couple is Casey Flaherty, 21, a Monmouth Beach native, and her boyfriend Alex Rosenthal, 20, from California. It was about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday and they were sitting in her car on 11th Avenue in Belmar.

That's when they saw a man and a woman struggling in the ocean.

"I would say they were at least 25 yards out; if not more. I've been a lifeguard so I know what it looks like when it's 'This isn't fun, I need help.' I was on the phone with my mom and I was like I think we need to save these people," she said. "I saw two guys going out (without boards) and then they seemed to get caught in the rip, too."

That's when the boyfriend-girlfriend surfing pair grabbed their surfboards from her car and ran into the water.

Find out what's happening in Manasquan-Belmarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

She said the couple was an older Russian couple, in their 70s or older — and were definitely in trouble. She said the woman appeared to have more energy, but the man was exhausted.

"That other guy who swam out to save them was just getting his footing. The woman said go help my husband. His eyes were closed; I thought he was unconscious. They did not speak any English; he also could not even get words out. I said we need to get this guy in because he is going to go into cardiac arrest any minute now."

She said she and her boyfriend paddled the man and woman to shore, where paramedics were waiting on the beach.

"We go to the sand and that's when he kissed me on the cheek and said thank you for saving my life."

Flaherty worked every summer through her teenage years as a lifeguard at Monmouth Beach. She is also a surf instructor at Summertime Surf in Bradley Beach. She is building a brand for herself as a surf girl who loves the water and the sport of surfing.

September is called "locals' summer" on the Jersey Shore, but this September has seen an unprecedented amount of rescues and drownings on the Jersey Shore. Flaherty, who is about as Jersey Shore local as it gets, has this message:

"September is locals' summer but it's also hurricane season. We get great waves as surfers, but September is when we get a lot of rip currents. It was a gorgeous day outside that Wednesday, and the water was glass flat. And there was still a rip tide. People have to be careful! Let someone know you are going into the water; bring flotation with you, even if you are a good swimmer and don't go far out."

Here are Flaherty and her boyfriend competing in professional surf competitions on the Jersey Shore:

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Videos show schools of fish swimming through the flooded streets of a Jersey Shore community.

In the videos recorded over the weekend, mullet swim in roads and alongside homes in Manasquan, New Jersey.

“That’s unusual,” Michael Hintz of Manasquan, New Jersey, told NBC10. “I’ve never seen them in February. I see them more in the spring.”

Nick Honachefsky, a professional writer, expert angler and TV host, said he received numerous reports of mullet sightings in both Ocean and Monmouth counties. He told NBC10 the bait fish typically aren’t seen in the area until the spring after migrating south.

“That’s what really startled me because mullet generally leave our waters in the fall,” Honachefsky said. “I believe it’s because the water temps are only about 48 degrees in the back. We’ve had another mild winter.”

Dr. Thomas Grothues, a marine science professor at Rutgers University, called the recent fishy encounter a “surprise.”

“I’ve never seen mullet here in February,” he said. “The simple answer is they haven’t left. The complex answer as to why is that there must have been some sort of a warm water trap.”

NBC10’s Ted Greenberg asked Dr. Grothues if the unusual sighting could be an indication of climate change.

“It’s an episode,” he replied. “And so we can’t link ever an episode – a particular episode – to climate change. What we get where we’re looking at climate change would be if the episodes are increasing in number or in duration in length.

Tuesday’s storm is expected to bring widespread coastal flooding to the Jersey Shore, meaning more fish could soon be swimming in the streets again.

“Anywhere where you’re going to see flooding, I think you might actually see a bunch of mullet,” Honachefsky said. “So if you want to cast at them now and freeze them for baits in the spring, may as well go out in your backyard and do it.”

New Jersey high school sports needs the NJSIAA.

I know that isn’t a popular sentiment right now. Confidence in the state’s high school athletic association is at an all-time low after the Manasquan/Camden boys basketball debacle, and the scourge of charter schools ruining Group 1 basketball.

Now let’s see if the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) can fix it. What’s needed is a new mindset. The NJSIAA has shown a willingness to new ideas, heck, we finally got real state football champions after 80 years.

They need to act again.

This week is the DAANJ (Directors of Athletics Association in New Jersey) convention at Atlantic City. It’s a great seminar for athletic directors across the state to hear from their peers and discuss the big issues of the times. On Wednesday at 2 p.m. NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire and legal counsel Steve Goodell will make their presentation on legal issues.

Think they’ll have anything?

When the Manasquan/Camden thing happened, the NJSIAA was basically left to say, sorry we don’t have any rules that could help/fix this. They took a terrible public relations hit. It’s bad when there’s national focus on the botched finish of your high school game.

People love to complain, but don’t offer solutions. So here’s one.

I’ve been to more NJSIAA Executive Committee meetings than should be allowed. One thing I know is they love committees. There’s the Leagues and Conferences Committees, Controversies Committees, Program Review Committee, Appeals Committees… there might be a committee on lunch for all I know.

But the NJSIAA can’t just magically make a committee to handle situations like this. Someone (hint hint) in the membership, meaning a member school, would have to suggest a change to the NJSIAA bylaws to create one. The NJSIAA could create a “Game Ending Dispute” committee (working title). One that would only handle cases in the State Tournament (sorry, your mid-week lacrosse game doesn’t count) that would be given the latitude to act and overturn a result they feel is incorrect.

The powers would be codified, and no, we won't change the end of the Bergen/Bosco game because you think it was holding on the left tackle that wasn’t called all game. Let the lawyers and/or AD’s write the language.

By all means, let them use video evidence. By. All. Means. But give the NJSIAA a chance to fix something like this. Because, if not, it’s going to happen again.

I know the thought is, well, life is unfair and these things happen. Yep. It’s absolutely true. But these are high school kids playing games… do we have to expose them to the cruel real world just yet? Besides, I’m pretty sure today’s 16-year-olds know that the world is unfair already.

And don’t give me, well, this opens Pandora’s Box. Screw that. Doing the right thing is always worth it.

An organization like the NJSIAA is not supposed to be powerless, but it does need the structure to make corrections. Maguire wasn’t just going to stand up Thursday and say, ‘Yeah, no, Manasquan won’ as much as she may have wanted to. She’s not a dictator.

Trust me no one feels worse about any of this than the people in charge. And honestly, the NJSIAA is one of the most progressive and active high school governing bodies in the nation. You may not believe this, but it’s true.

Have you ever heard of a state athletic association with a student advisory board? I bet if/when Maguire asks them about the Camden/Manasquan thing, they’ll all agree, Camden lost, Manasquan won, we should have fixed it.

Without the NJSIAA, we don’t have co-op sports programs (think of how many kids get to play sports because of that), we wouldn’t have girls wrestling, boys volleyball, indoor track (despite the issues with the set-up), ice hockey at The Rock, football at MetLife. The NJSIAA could have cut smaller sports like swimming, field hockey and gymnastics a long time ago, citing declining interest and participation, but they’re still here.

The NJSIAA was one of the first state associations to create a Name, Image and Likeness policy. It has a transgender athlete policy. We have limited steroid testing in New Jersey because of the NJSIAA. The organization has shown a real commitment to mental health awareness issues among athletes.

That said, there's still a bureaucracy to the NJSIAA that exists and can be frustrating. The ADs I talk to feel like the leadership doesn't always respond quickly and can be stuck in its ways.

The NJISAA was originally invented in 1918 to prevent ‘ringers’ from competing at local high schools. Yes, I know it still happens, but just think without the NJSIAA, kids would jump from team to team all the time. But back in 1918, no one was thinking coaches would manufacture “charter schools” that are basically club sports teams in school form, but guess what, they aren’t breaking any NJSIAA rules as they’re currently written. Want to stop them? Change the rules.

The DAANJ convention is the perfect spot for the NJSIAA to get new ideas from stakeholders, implement them, and restore trust.

It needs to happen. Now.

Because without trust, the NJSIAA is just counting down until its next bad public relations hit.

MANASQUAN – It’s the most intriguing matchup of the Shore high school basketball season on several different levels, as top-seeded Manasquan hosts third-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven in an all-Shore final to decide the NJSIAA Central Group 2 championship Friday night (6:30 p.m.).

It marks the fifth time since 2016 the two have met in the state playoffs, but the first time in the final. And the last time Manasquan lost on its home court to a Shore Conference public school it was against Rumson, falling 56-46 on Feb. 3, 2018.

It would be the fifth straight sectional title for Manasquan, while Rumson is looking for its fourth sectional crown since 2017, having last won it in 2022, when Manasquan was in Group 3.

No. 1 Manasquan (22-6)

The aforementioned homecourt advantage is very real in the bandbox gym, which will be overflowing. Manasquan’s 19-point home loss to St. Rose this season is the closest any local team has been to the Purple Roses. But Manasquan also lost at home this season to Ranney, which struggled all season, so it’s not impossible to win there.

Manasquan’s best, however, is very good, with its most impressive performance coming in a takedown of East Orange, favored to win the North Section 1, Group 4 title.

In junior Griffin Linstra, Manasquan has a player capable of dominating at both ends of the court. The 6-5 Linstra can get to the basket at one end and protect the rim at the other, having produced 16 double-doubles in 26 games. And 6-7 Alex Konov is a matchup problem because of his range as a 3-point shooter. Manasquan’s starting backcourt of fresman point guard Rey Weinseimer, and seniors Luke Roy, a defensive stalwart, and Jason Larned have performed well against some very good guards this seasons.

Manasquan has a pair of 6-5 reserves in Ryan Mulvaney and Jack O’Reilly, who could help offset the Bulldogs’ size inside.

No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven (20-6)

Rumson has not ducked anyone this season. Entering Friday, four of the six teams they lost to this season were still alive in the state playoffs. And it’s those experiences that will serve them well against a strong opponent in a hostile environment.

Where Rumson appears to have an advantage is in the paint, where 6-7 Andrew Goodes is healthy, helping ignite a second-half rally against Holmdel with 11 points, while grabbing 16 rebounds, and 6-8 sophomore Luke Cruz has been a force all season, with the ability to hit 3-pointers as well.

It ultimately comes own to defense for the Bulldogs, who have relied on 6-4 junior Riley Gill to line up against the opposition’s top scorer, with Gill expected to draw the assignment on Linstra. From there, it comes down to the Bulldogs’ rugged 6-2 yards, senior Nick Rigby and junior David Carr, to win their battles with the Manasquan guards at both ends.

The Bulldogs have to shoot the ball well, hitting 5-of-7 from 3-point range against Holmdel to open up a 10-point first quarter lead.

Common opponents

Manasquan is 7-2 in games against their common foes, while Rumson is 5-4, with both teams having lost to St. Rose and Toms River North, a loss Manasquan avenged in the SCT quarterfinals. They both played Holmdel recently, with Manasquan winning 66-43 in the SCT semifinals, and Rumson beating the Hornets, 60-37, in Wednesday’s semifinals.

Prediction

Manasquan 65, Rumson 63.

INTRODUCTION:

Historically, coastal storms have severely impacted the Atlantic Coast of New Jersey. In response to these storms, the US Army Corps of Engineers has implemented measures such as beach renourishment, construction of groins, jetties, etc. The purpose of this study is to investigate and determine if there is a technically feasible, environmentally acceptable, and economically justifiable recommendation for federal participation to improve the existing subject project. The study area is the existing project (21-miles of shoreline) and immediately surrounding areas with a focus on the southern 9 miles (Section 2) and two erosion hotspots located in Section 1. The study was initiated in October 2022 in partnership with the non-federal sponsor, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The study is funded at 100% federal expense by the 2022 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (DRSAA).

BACKGROUND / STUDY SCOPE:

The existing project provides beach erosion control, and coastal flood risk reduction for the highly populated communities and infrastructure along 21-miles of Atlantic coastline in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The project area is divided into two sections: Section I - which extends for 12 miles from Sea Bright to Loch Arbour (formally Ocean Township), and Section II - which includes the 9 miles from Asbury Park to the Manasquan Inlet, as shown in the map below. Currently the engineering team is modeling the existing conditions of the 21-mile project.

While the project performs as designed, there are opportunities for improvement. This study aims to investigate and determine if there is a technically feasible, environmentally acceptable, and economically justifiable recommendation for federal participation to improve the existing subject project. There are two areas experiencing high rates of erosion located within Section I, specifically in Monmouth Beach and Elberon. These erosion hotspots require more frequent nourishment than anticipated. This redirects renourishment funds and sand to these locations, as opposed to other sections of the existing project that could also benefit from sand placement. The study will investigate improvements to these areas to reduce the need for renourishment and the risk of erosion.

The study will also investigate if there are features and alternatives that will improve the management of inundation risk from storm surge in Section II. The existing project has thus far performed well during extreme storm conditions and has been successful in reducing the magnitude of storm damages, though the existing project was overtopped during Hurricane Sandy, revealing the opportunity to modify the existing project to better reduce coastal flood risk.

STATUS:

The study team is currently modeling existing conditions in the study area and is preparing for upcoming outreach opportunities for the public to comment on potential project measures, which are briefly summarized below.

Above: Summary of potential natural & nature based (NBS), structural, and nonstructural measures being considered within the study area.

Meeting Presentations and Recordings