A high school graduate rescued two of his friends off the coast of Ventnor, New Jersey, by swimming into a deadly rip current to push them to the safety of the shore. Tragically, he paid with his own life.
When Jayda Smith and Sierra Williams got caught in the rough waters brought in by Tropical Storm Fay, Jalan, a track and field competitor, rushed to their aid but got trapped in the rip current himself. Jayda called 911 from the shore and also tried to reach out to people on the beach for help. However, he never returned.
A 58-square-mile search over land and sea commenced, lasting 13 hours. Jalan’s body was recovered in Atlantic City 24 hours after he first went missing.
“He is my best friend and he saved my life,” Jayda explained. “Months ago, I told him my biggest fear is drowning, and he did everything he could to make sure that wouldn’t happen to me.”
After pushing Jayda over the rolling wave she was trapped in, Jalan took her spot. Sierra tried to pull him out after that. “[T]hey both went under, and he knew what was happening,” Jayda wrote. “Sierra told me there was a break in the waves for a moment, and he shook his head at her ... [he] used the rest of his strength to push her over, just like he did with me.”
“To everyone who witnessed the events that unfolded on the beaches of Ventnor Friday evening, I thank you,” Biagi wrote. “You observed, you listened and prayed as we all went through this tragedy together. You allowed the first responders to do their job.”
“The family of Jalan Alston has some closure with his recovery and with that we need to start healing as a community and do our best to see this never happens again,” the chief signed off.
“[H]e always looked out for me the same way I looked out for him,” Mark reflected. “He was pure of love ... He was never combative and treated everyone fairly and equally. He is courageous and one of the smartest kids I know.”
Mark further continued that he hopes his brother watches over him and continues to feel the love he had for him, adding that his brother will “never be forgotten.”
According to his friends, Jalan had pointed out a car decal to Jayda and Sierra on their way to the beach that read, “After every storm is a beautiful rainbow.”
During the coast guard’s initial search for Jalan, Jayda recalled looking up from her spot on the beach to see the first of many rainbows that will forever remind her of the best friend who saved her life.
