The 31-year-old Newark man was swept out to sea off Bradley Beach on Saturday night.
BRADLEY BEACH - The U.S. Coast Guard announced that it has suspended its search for a 31-year-old man who was swept out to sea on Saturday evening.
Newark resident Julio Pierre was visiting Bradley Beach with friends on Saturday when he disappeared in the ocean near the Brinley Avenue jetty at around 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Officials said crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, the New Jersey State Police, the Bradley Beach Police Department, the Belmar Water Rescue Team, Asbury Park Fire and Rescue, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Department, the Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders (ANSWER) team, as well as volunteer divers and lifeguards from Bradley Beach and Avon-by-the-Sea, jointly searched for Pierre until the Coast Guard announced that those efforts had been suspended as of 7:55 p.m. on Sunday.
"Our hearts go out to the friends, families, and loved ones who are impacted by this tragic event" Capt. Scott Anderson, deputy sector commander for the Coast Guard's Delaware Bay sector, said in a press release. "Coast Guard crews and our partner agencies worked together to search for this individual and it's never an easy decision to stop searching."
The multi-agency search efforts covered 248-square miles, as the Coast Guard launched a 29-foot response boat-small rescue crew, two 87-foot cutters, as well as air assets - including an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew - to aid the state and local agencies in their search.
Bradley Beach Police Chief Leonard Guida told NJ Advance Media on Sunday that the 31-year-old Pierre immigrated to Newark from Haiti about a month ago.
'They came down here trying to beat the heat up north and it turned into a tragedy," Guida said.
The chief said it had been several years since the last drowning in Bradley Beach and that Pierre's disappearance shook the town's first responders.
"It's a tragedy for everyone," Guida said.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.