A New York City firefighter lost his life doing what he did best over the weekend: being a hero. Mark Batista, 39, jumped into the water at an Avon-by-the-Sea beach on the Jersey Shore on Friday morning when his teen daughter, Leann, got caught in a riptide. Witnesses saw the scary situation unfolding and called for help.
The Area Network of Shore Water Responders team, or ANSWER, was dispatched to Sylvania Avenue Beach around 8:38 a.m. after a report of two distressed swimmers, a post on the organization’s Facebook page reads. The rescue team quickly retrieved the teen but could not immediately find Batista; many feared the worst.
Crews desperately searched for the teen and her father.
The release notes that within minutes, the ANSWER team rescued the teen girl from the rough waters and took her to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment. Her condition was unknown, but she is expected to survive. ANSWER partnered with a host of emergency responders to help find Mark Batista.
“The ANSWER response included rescue swimmers, divers, boats, jet skis, EMS, PD, and drone operators from Neptune Township, Neptune City, Avon, and Bradley Beach. The response also included a multitude of mutual aid partners from surrounding towns, including the SMART Team, lifeguards from Belmar and Sea Girt, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Police, and the US Coast Guard, and we greatly appreciate their assistance,” the release reads.
Mark Batista's body was spotted in the water around 10 a.m.
After searching for an hour and a half, a US Coast Guard helicopter team notified searchers of a possible location. Swimmers were able to retrieve Mark Batista from the water. Crews attempted life-saving measures at the scene. He was quickly taken to the hospital but was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to ANSWER’s Facebook post.
There were no lifeguards on duty at the beach.
The beach was not overseen by lifeguards on Friday morning, and none are scheduled to be on duty on weekdays until June 17, NBC New York reported. The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office took to Facebook Saturday to remind beachgoers of the importance of water safety.
“In the wake of this morning’s unfortunate incident in Avon where a man drowned while trying to rescue his daughter after she was caught in rough surf, we once again caution all to please NOT go in the water when there are no lifeguards on duty,” the post reads.
The firefighter's death has saddened the community.
The FDNY posted a tribute to Batista on its Facebook page. The loss of a beloved member of its community has been heartbreaking.
“We are heartbroken to learn about the death of Firefighter Mark Batista, who died Friday while swimming at the Jersey Shore,” the post reads. “Firefighter Batista was a dedicated public servant who spent fifteen years serving in the FDNY, as both an EMT and a firefighter. We join his family in mourning his tragic passing.”
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Batista's fellow firefighters organized a fundraiser for his family.
A GoFundMe account was created by Engine 226 to assist Batista’s wife, Lenin, daughter Leeann and sons Derek and Jhonner. Batista wasn’t shy about his love for his family and had shared that with his coworkers.
“Mark always put his family first. In many conversations he would describe how his loving wife, Lenin, brings him peace. How proud he is of his sons and how his princess Leann was his world,” the GoFundMe page reads. “He would visit his grandmother at a nursing home before and after every tour he worked and when he wasn’t responding to the various emergencies of New York City, he would be FaceTiming his daughter and speaking to members about fatherhood.”
The page has surpassed its $20,000 goal, raising more than $32,000 thus far.
