BARNEGAT LIGHT – Several people were rescued Sunday afternoon after their boat overturned just beyond the Barnegat Inlet, prompting a swift response from good Samaritans and multiple marine agencies.
Officials said the emergency unfolded around 12:45 p.m. when a nearby boater radioed the U.S. Coast Guard to report a vessel flipped over outside the inlet’s breakers. The distress call set off a joint response from the Coast Guard, TowBoatUS Barnegat Light and Beach Haven, Sea Tow Central New Jersey, and several personal watercraft operators who rushed to help.
Jet ski riders were first to reach the stranded group, pulling them from the water until TowBoatUS crews arrived. The rescued boaters were then transferred to a Coast Guard lifeboat and brought back to Station Barnegat Light, where EMS teams were waiting.
Authorities said everyone on board was accounted for and checked out without serious injuries.
The overturned boat, roughly 25 feet long, was later retrieved from the surf zone by TowboatUS with assistance from Sea Tow Central New Jersey. Crews successfully towed the vessel clear of the breakers.
