Woman Rescued from Rushing Ocean Current in Point Beach

A 23-year-old Tennessee woman went into the Manasquan Inlet Thursday evening intending to swim from Point Beach to Manasquan.

Instead, a fast moving current swept her out of the inlet, into the ocean and carried her south "at a high rate of speed," said Point Pleasant Beach Detective Clint Daniel.

"She thought she would be able to swim across, not realizing how dangerous the inlet is," Daniel said. "Instead, the inlet spit her out and she went into the ocean."

Amy Sartor, 23, of Cleveland, Tenn., is fine now, thanks to the Point Beach police, who responded to the scene and radioed the Coast Guard, who sped out on the ocean in a "fast boat" and plucked Sartor from the rushing current, Daniel said.

"It was a fantastic rescue by all hands," he added.

Sartor is facing a charge of "misbehaving" because she went into the water with the intent to swim to Manasquan and compelled law enforcement to undertake a large-scale response and water rescue, Daniel said. She was released on her own recognizance.

Sartor was being examined Thursday evening by the Point Pleasant First Aid and Emergency Squad volunteers who reported she was not injured and she did not wish to be transported to the hospital.

Police were called to the scene at 6:09 p.m. and spotted the woman about 250 yards off the beach, being carried south by the current "at a high rate of speed," Daniel said.

"She was so far out and was moving so fast that we couldn't even send our divers in, so we radioed the Coast Guard right away," he said. "Luckily, she stayed afloat and the Coast Guard responded and grabbed her."

Daniel said when he first ran onto the jetty to check on the location of Sartor, she was about 50 yards south of the inlet.

"By the time I ran down, she was about 200 yards south," he said. "That's how fast she was moving."

The first aid dive team and Point Beach Fire Department responded to the scene, along with numerous police officers, Daniel said.