62-year-old man drowns in Topsail Beach
A 62-year-old man from Hampstead died Wednesday after a good Samaritan pulled him from the water.
Officials said a rip current is to blame for the man’s death, WECT reports.
A witness told police he saw 62-year-old Jerry Thompson walk into the water and disappear. That same witness later pulled the victim from the ocean as crews rushed to respond.
Officials believe Thompson’s death was likely a drowning, though a witness said the man was in shallow surf and he believes he could have suffered a medical issue.
“We don’t know if it was a heart attack, a stroke, he fell and hit his head, under current, we really honestly do not know the cause of it, we just know he was found in the surf,” he said.
The National Weather Service has asked beach goers to stay out of the ocean or swim with caution as Hurricane Humberto swirls in the Atlantic, bringing rough surf and rip currents to the coast.
