Two rescued from Barnegat Bay after sailboat capsizes

Two mainers were rescued from the Barnegat Bay after their sailboat capsized off Toms River early Sunday evening, a fire department official said.

Firefighters responded to the Silver Bay near Bay Point Drive in Toms River at 6:30 p.m. after receiving a call about a capsized sailboat with two people missing, Silverton Volunteer Fire Company #1 Chief Gary Tattersall said in a release. 

Tattersall and Assistant Fire Chief Bob Sinnott arrived on the scene and were met by several residents and a 17-year-old female, who reported that she was aboard the sailboat with a 50-year-old male and 18-year-old female when it overturned in the Silver Bay between Cattus Island Park and the Silverton section of Toms River. 

Water rescue boats from the Silverton Fire Company, East Dover Fire Company, and the Ocean Beach Fire Company began a grid search of the choppy Silver Bay, according to the release. 

Tattersall ordered a second alarm for rescue boats from the Island Heights Fire Company and Brick Fire District #1 along with a helicopter. Police, fire, and EMS units also searched the land.

Shortly before 7 p.m., Captain Darren Elliot on the Ocean Beach fire boat reported that the crew had rescued the two missing people at Buoy 22 in the Barnegat Bay, which is approximately one-mile east of the location of the initial report, Tattersall said. 

The victims, who were wearing life jackets, suffered mild scrapes and bruises and were treated and released at the scene, according to Tattersall. 

Additional responding units included the Toms River Police Department, Toms River EMS, Silverton EMS, New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, and the United States Coast Guard.