21-year-old in critical condition after being rescued from rip current

CARTERET COUNTY, North Carolina -- A 21-year-old man is in the hospital after being rescued from a rip current in Atlantic Beach Sunday morning according to the Atlantic Beach Fire Department.

According to the fire department, the man went into cardiac arrest and was flown to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.

He is reportedly in critical condition.

He was among five people who were in distress when firefighters arrived at the unprotected section of the beach. He and a woman needed medical attention.

"We made access with the jet skis and EMS unit to the location on the beach," Kevin White, Shift Captain at Atlantic Beach Fire Department, told WCTI. "We got on scene and there were multiple victims, CPR was being performed on one of the victims."

The woman was transported to the hospital and is in good condition.

This incident comes just 24 hours after a man died trying to save two teenage girls that were caught at a rip current at Atlantic Beach.