2,000+ participate in Polar Bear Plunge

Yes, it happened! More than 2,000 brave souls plunged into the Atlantic Ocean at 2 p.m. Saturday as part of Sea Isle City's 22nd annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Temperatures were about 20 degrees in this Cape May County town on the Jersey Shore, according to weather reports.

Katherine Custer, a city spokeswoman, said the cold-weather event "attracts many people from all walks of life."

West Chester's James "Jimmy" Cahaley, 28, did a flip as he entered the foamy and frigid surf. "It was ridiculously cold. It was unbearable but we made it through," he said cheerfully afterward.

South Philly's Michelle Sumner, 59, took the plunge to her knees with sisters Lisa Olivieri and Susan Solometo, both 56, and their 77-year-old aunt Pat Donat. "My sisters and my aunt were sitting around and we decided we would do it for my 60th birthday," said Sumner, who will celebrate the big day in June.

They poked fun at Gov. Chris Christie with mobster get-up, including mop heads for wigs and red buckets for hats. They called themselves "Chris Christie's Mopsters," an apparent jive at the governor who bristled at criticism for being out of town campaigning during the blizzard last month when New Jersey coastal cities were flooded by rising tides. "Do you want me to go back there with a mop?" Christie had asked.

Sumner said the plunge could be a "new tradition. It was a lot of fun."

The plunge is a fundraiser for the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization and benefits events the organization hosts in the community, Custer said.

On Sunday, there will be a Polar Bear Run-Walk for Autism, an autism charity.

– Staff Writer Julie Shaw contributed to this report