UPDATE: Three Seaside Park Police Officers Badly Injured Near Fire Scene

By Patricia A. Miller

Three Seaside Park police officers ending a grueling all-night shift were seriously injured in an accident on O Street this morning, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

The officers were heading down the Boulevard sitting in the back of a military-style truck used in yesterday's massive fire on the Seaside Park boardwalk when the bench they were sitting on gave way, around 9 a.m.,  spokesman Al Della Fave said.

Two officers had to be airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, the other was taken by ambulance, he said.

"They were transporting the vehicle back out of the fire area," he said. "A bench in the back of the truck gave way and they tumbled to the ground.''

The names and conditions of the officers are unavailable at this time. Two were men, one was a woman. Two were seasonal Seaside Park police officers, the other was a full-time officer, Della Fave said.

Danielle Cavanaugh and Peter Dudley - both staying at the nearby Desert Palms Motel - said they heard a loud bang and rushed outside to see what had happened.

The two had become friendly with the female officer during their stay and were horrified at what they saw, Cavanaugh said, as she wiped back tears.

"We talked to that girl every day for weeks," she said. "What the hell is going on? I think she got the worst of it."

Come back to Patch soon for more information on this developing story.