Coast Guard rescues fishing crew from life raft off N.J. coast

U.S. Coast Guard personnel rescued two people after a fishing vessel began sinking Tuesday off the New Jersey coast. 

U.S. Coast Guard

(U.S. Coast Guard)

U.S. Coast Guard personnel rescued two people after a fishing vessel began sinking Tuesday off the New Jersey coast.

According to a Coast Guard release, the 68-foot fishing vessel began taking on water about 33 miles east of the Barnegat Inlet around 5:30 a.m.

One of the crew members contacted the Coast Guard on the emergency radio band to report that the men were preparing to abandon ship onto a life raft.

That’s when Air Station Atlantic City launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew, along with cutter Angela McShan to assist.

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Responders found the crew in a life raft after they set off a flare to highlight their location.

No injuries were reported.

“The crew’s use of their emergency equipment helped Coast Guard search crews locate them quickly and prevent loss of life today,” said David Umberger, command duty officer at Sector Delaware Bay. “The Coast Guard encourages all boaters to properly register EPIRB devices to their vessels to aid search efforts during emergencies.”

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