A hero was struck by lightning and killed as he tried to get children off a beach during a thunderstorm.
Patrick Dispoto went to warn the beachgoers about the approaching storm after hearing thunder.
The beach was closed at the time and the lifeguards had left, but several children were still there.
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Police said 59-year-old Patrick was found unresponsive on J Street Beach in Seaside Park, New Jersey, just south of New York, US.
He was given CPR and taken to a local hospital, but medics could only pronounce him dead.
No one saw what had happened to him, but an autopsy performed yesterday (25 Jun) ruled that he had been struck by lightning.
Patrick leaves behind a girlfriend, whom he had left in his car as he went to warn the beachgoers.
He was still on the beach when the storm struck suddenly, with “lightning all around”, according to local woman Karen Kroon.
Dispoto was from Toms River, New Jersey, as reported on Need To Know.
The tragedy happened on Sunday (23 Jun).
He is being hailed as the “cowboy hero” online because he was rarely seen without his cowboy hat on.
Work on improved lightning detection systems in Seaside Park began earlier this week.
Beach or water-related activities are especially dangerous during a thunderstorm.
This is because a person standing on the beach is the shortest path from the sky to the ground and because water conducts electricity.
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