Cape May Police Honor Lifeguard After Heroic Rescue

The accolades continue to come in for Cape May Point Lifeguard Ryan Gibson after his heroic off-duty rescue of an 11-year-old girl in distress.

The Cape May Police Department is the latest to recognize Ryan's efforts last Wednesday, August 12th, at about 6:30 pm,  when he heard people yelling that a young girl was in trouble in the water off of the Lehigh Avenue beach.

Ryan's lifeguard shift had ended at 5 pm, but luckily he was still hanging out on the beach and was able to respond to the crisis.

Cape May Police Congratulate Ryan Gibson's Courage

At approximately 6:33 p.m., Ryan was off duty and playing volleyball with friends after finishing his shift when he noticed an 11-year-old girl had been pulled into the ocean by the rough currents.

 

Without hesitation, Ryan entered the water and conducted a rescue. The girl had swallowed water and was treated on scene by emergency responders. Ryan sustained minor scrapes and scratches from the rocks after pulling the girl onto a nearby rock jetty.

Even without his lifeguard rescue buoy and ropes, Ryan swam in and managed to pull the girl to safety up on the rocks.

Cape May Point Beach Patrol Chief Ben Swan told the OCNJ Sentinel that Ryan did his best under bad circumstances.

“Ryan stayed with the victim, worked his way onto the rock pile, and from there they were able to get atop the rocks and catch their breath and walk back to shore,” Swan said, adding that he and off-duty lifeguard Lt. Matt Gibson (Ryan’s brother) arrived at the scene and helped them off the rocks to safety.

Cape May Police Point to the Lesson Learned

Luckily, no one died that evening on the Cape May Point beach. The Cape May Police thanked everyone who helped save a life.

Several other good Samaritans who were on the beach, including a professional photographer who was taking family photos, attempted to assist but quickly became overwhelmed by the dangerous ocean conditions.

 

Off-duty Cape May Point Lifeguards Ben Swan and Matt Gibson heard the rescue being broadcast and immediately responded to assist with the after-hours rescue.