WILDWOOD, New Jersey — Newly released bodycam footage shows a Wildwood police officer entering the ocean and rescuing three teenagers after a school-trip group got into trouble at an unguarded beach, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

The incident happened on the afternoon of June 1, the station reported. A staff member with the group told police the teens had moved farther into the water before conditions overtook them.

NBC10 reported that a Wildwood officer who was passing by took off his uniform and went into the water. Authorities said the officer rescued three of the boys as the beach response unfolded.

“His actions are heroic,” Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. told NBC10. “At least three kids still have their lives that would not have had their lives, possibly, if that officer wasn't there.”

A rescue and a tragedy in the same call

The same emergency also turned tragic. NBC10 reported that 14-year-old Davoris Carter III disappeared during the incident and that his body was recovered days later in Cape May.

ThinBlueNews is limiting private details about the minors involved and is focusing on the verified public-safety response: a fast officer decision, a water entry at an unguarded beach and three teens brought out alive while responders searched for a fourth.

The group involved in the trip included six students and six staff members from Delta School in Philadelphia, according to NBC10. The station reported that the school’s CEO said the staff members who were in Wildwood that day were placed on administrative leave pending investigations by multiple agencies.

Beach-safety reminder after multiple shore deaths

The Wildwood emergency came during a dangerous early-season stretch on the Jersey Shore. NBC10 reported that several people have died after swimming at unguarded beaches in less than a month, including incidents in Ocean City, Seaside Park and Ship Bottom.

For Support Law Enforcement readers, the bodycam footage is a reminder that police officers often become the first available rescue asset when a call moves faster than specialized resources can arrive. In Wildwood, the public reporting describes an officer close enough to act — and willing to go into the water — when seconds mattered.

Sources reviewed

Editorial note: This article attributes facts to NBC10 Philadelphia and reported authority statements, avoids speculation about school staff investigations or water conditions beyond what was reported, limits details about minors, and uses a real bodycam/source still rather than AI-generated rescue imagery.