Six people were rescued early Sunday morning from Little Egg Harbor when their pleasure boat struck a fixed navigational aid near Ham Island, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A good Samaritan called the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Command Center at about 12:18 a.m. to report hearing a large crash and calls for help, officials said.
Little Egg Harbor is about a 35-minute drive north of Atlantic City.
A boat from the Coast Guard station in Beach Haven, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from the Coast Guard station in Atlantic City, a jet ski crew from Beach Haven Volunteer Fire Department and Beach Haven Police Department shore crews responded.
The Beach Haven boat crew and the Beach Haven Volunteer Fire Department jet ski crew pulled the six boaters from the water. Each had sustained several unspecified injuries from the crash, officials said.
The occupants were ejected from the 25-foot Bertram Vessel when it struck Intercoastal Waterway marker 92. Two people were airlifted to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center. Four others were transported by ambulance to Southern Ocean Medical Center, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Lawrence Peele said.
One occupant is in critical but stable condition, and the other five occupants are in stable condition, he said.
The crash remains under investigation, Peele said.
A marine safety broadcast was issued to mariners to be on the lookout for debris from the crash. Coast Guard crews are working to fix the navigational aid.
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Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.
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