New Jersey Man Struck By Lightning While Protecting Others From Storm

An incident occurred at Seaside Park Beach on Sunday when a man was struck by lightning while attempting to warn other beachgoers of an incoming storm. 

The man, identified as Patrick Dispoto (59), was at the beach with his girlfriend, Ruth Fussell, when they noticed a storm approaching. According to Police Sgt. Andrew Casole, Dispoto returned to his truck with Fussell but decided to go back to the beach to alert others about the storm.

Fussell recounted to WABC, “He said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ I said, ‘You have no business going back.’ And he says, ‘I’m just going to warn these kids because the sky is going to open. I’m just going to warn these kids – one minute.’ I said, ‘No.’”

Despite Fussell's warnings, Dispoto went back. She called him three times without a response and waited about 15 minutes before going back to the beach, where she found him unconscious. Emergency responders performed CPR on Dispoto and transported him to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Sgt. Casole confirmed that Dispoto died from an "accidental death caused by a lightning strike."

In response to this incident, Seaside Park has installed a lightning warning system. Seaside Park Borough Administrator Karen Kroon said that the Strike Guard Lightning Detection System, which was purchased in April for nearly $50,000, was installed on Wednesday. The system monitors cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning strikes within a 20-mile radius.

Kroon emphasised that the installation was not a direct response to Dispoto’s death but part of ongoing efforts to enhance public safety. “The Borough made that investment because public safety is extremely important, and we want to do everything we can to alert our residents and visitors to imminent danger,” she said.

According to the National Lightning Safety Council, Dispoto's death marks the third lightning-related fatality in the United States this year and the first in New Jersey since 2021, when a lifeguard was killed on a beach in South Seaside Park. Since 2006, New Jersey has experienced 16 lightning deaths, five of which occurred on beaches.

Fussell described Dispoto as a person who always sought to make others' lives easier. “So, his last act of heroism was his ultimate, and that’s my Patrick Dispoto,” she said.