New York City firefighter dies in drowning while trying to save daughter from rip current at Jersey Shore

A father who drowned last week while trying to rescue his child from a rip current at the Jersey Shore was a New York City firefighter whose career in public service dated back 15 years, officials confirmed on Sunday.

The man, 39-year-old Mark Batista, died at the New Jersey beach town Avon-by-the-Sea on Friday morning while he off duty after jumping into the ocean to save his teenage daughter, who was caught in a rip current at the time, CBS New York reported, citing police. A rip current is essentially channel of moving water, somewhat like a river, that forms in the ocean and flows away from the shoreline and out to sea. 

Authorities originally identified Batista as a resident of Teaneck, but they did not release his name. The New York City Fire Department later confirmed his identity in a statement obtained by CBS News on Sunday, which noted that he had served as both an EMT and a firefighter for the department over the course of 15 years. Batista worked at Engine Company 226 in Brooklyn, according to CBS New York.