BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ – A 23-foot-long pleasure craft sunk off the coast of Island Beach State Park after capsizing near the Barnegat Inlet. Six people were rescued, but a mother and her 4-year-old child were trapped under the boat as it sunk below the surface.
The incident happened shortly after 7 pm, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Mikaela McGee. It is estimated that the mother and her daughter were trapped under the boat for 25 minutes before being rescued.
Reports detail how a Barnegat Light beach patrol member eventually went into the water and under the boat to make the rescue after multiple attempts to flip the boat had failed. The woman was able to call 911 while trapped inside the capsized boat, officials reported today.
Local agencies were assisted by the New Jersey State Police marine unit and the U.S. Coast Guard Barnegat Light station.