Heroic act ends fatally: New Jersey man is struck by lightning while warning others of a storm

In a tragic incident at Seaside Park Beach in New Jersey on Sunday, 59-year-old Patrick Dispoto was struck by lightning while trying to warn other beachgoers of an approaching storm. Despite pleas from his girlfriend to stay in the truck, Dispoto insisted on returning to the beach to warn others, especially children, of the impending danger.

Ruth Fussell, who identified herself as Dispoto’s girlfriend, described the events to CNN affiliate WABC. “He said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ I said, ‘You have no business being here.’ And he said, ‘I’m just warning these kids, because the heavens are going to open. I’m just warning these kids — one minute.’ I said, ‘No,'” she said.

After waiting about 15 minutes and making three unsuccessful attempts to contact Dispoto, Fussell returned to the beach and found him unconscious.

Emergency responders immediately began resuscitating Dispoto and transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police Officer Andrew Casole confirmed that Dispoto’s death was caused by a lightning strike.

In the days following the incident, Seaside Park installed a lightning warning system called the Strike Guard Lightning Detection System, which had been designed and purchased in April for nearly $50,000.

Installation of the system, which can detect both cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning strikes within a user-defined radius of up to 20 miles, was scheduled for Wednesday, Seaside Park District Administrator Karen Kroon confirmed.

She stressed that the installation was not a direct response to the recent tragedy, but rather a proactive measure to ensure public safety and alert residents and visitors to potential dangers.

Since 2006, there have been 16 recorded lightning deaths in New Jersey, five of them at beaches, including the death of a lifeguard at South Seaside Park in 2021.

Fussell told WABC that Dispoto was always willing to help others and make their lives easier, and she wants people to remember him for that. “So his last act of heroism was his greatest, and that’s my Patrick Dispoto,” she said, emphasizing his selfless nature and the impact he had on those around him.