Coast Guard, good Samaritans rescue 4 from boat near N.J. coast

The Coast Guard and good Samaritans came to the rescue of four people after their boat began taking on water near the New Jersey coast.

Authorities say the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay command center received a radio distress call Tuesday afternoon that a vessel was in distress near the north rock jetty in Cape May and dispatched boat crews.

Within 10 minutes, a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May — along with good Samaritans and small crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Hammerhead and Coast Guard Cutter McShan — arrived at the scene, officials said.

The Cape May boat crew quickly transferred the four boaters to their boat and began dewatering the vessel with a pump, while a good Samaritan established a tow to the distressed vessel, authorities said. A TowBoatUS crew arrived shortly after to take over dewatering and towing operations.

All four people were safely transferred to the Bree-Zee-Lee Yacht Basin with no reported injuries.

“This case exemplified how the maritime community is willing to come together to assist fellow boaters,” said David Umberger, command duty officer at the Sector Delaware Bay Command Center.

“The fact that mariners came together to help is commendable, but we cannot overstate the importance of having a life jacket for everyone aboard, having good communication equipment and understanding the area where you will be boating.”