Dismissal of ‘killer beach’ lawsuit sought in New Jersey

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J. – A New Jersey judge will hear arguments on whether to dismiss a lawsuit involving a beach where three people died when the sand collapsed under their feet as they walked along the shoreline in two separate incidents.

The city of North Wildwood and the state of New Jersey want Superior Court Judge John Poto to dismiss the lawsuit from the family of Brad Smith, of Horhsam, Pennsylvania, who died in 2012. Arguments will be heard Friday.

He was walking in ankle-deep water with his daughter when the sand collapsed, plunging them into the swirling waters. A passer-by on a personal watercraft rescued the girl, but Smith drowned.

Three years earlier, Jamila Watkins and 15-year-old Shayne Hart were walking along the water’s edge when the sand collapsed beneath them, killing both of them.