A prominent local businessman apparently drowned Thursday afternoon in the Atlantic Ocean at Indian Beach.

Tony Cilluffo was pronounced dead at Carteret General Hospital, confirmed Kevin White, chief of the Indian Beach-Salter Path Fire Department.

Cilluffo was an owner of Frank’s Pizza in Washington.

The fire department received a call about a swimmer in distress around 5 p.m. Thursday, White reported.

Rescue personnel, including a crew member on a jet ski, responded to the call. Arriving on the scene, the crew saw bystanders waving in the direction of the distressed swimmer, White said.

“He was probably 20 yards, 30 yards out, if that,” the chief stated.

Attempts to revive Cilluffo were unsuccessful, White said.

Though a rip current may have played a role in the incident, that couldn’t be confirmed immediately.

“It was pretty much a normal beach day,” White said, adding that rip currents can occur at any time.

“The waves were a little bit higher today just because of the wind conditions,” the chief explained.

Word of Cilluffo’s death already had begun circulating through Washington Thursday night as the community mourned the passing of one of its own.

“The family and everybody’s in our prayers,” said White.

No further details were available as of 10:29 p.m. Thursday.