PERTH AMBOY, N.J. — Fourteen people were safely rescued early Sunday morning after their 26-foot boat began taking on water in the Arthur Kill, according to the Perth Amboy Fire Department.
Perth Amboy Marine 5 was dispatched at 1:55 a.m. to assist the vessel in distress. Port Reading Marine 2-3-8 also responded as part of Zone 8 coordination with the New Jersey Regional Fireboat Task Force.
Upon arrival, responders found the vessel anchored off and beginning to flood. Marine crews transferred 10 individuals to Marine 5 and four to Marine 2-3-8. All 14 were safely brought to the Woodbridge Marina.
Woodbridge Fire Units were on scene at the marina to assist the rescued passengers onto land. No injuries were reported, and the vessel was left secured for commercial towing operations.
Response followed earlier Harbortown fire
The fire department noted that the marine rescue came shortly after units had returned from an earlier fire response in Harbortown.
“This type of response is exactly what we have shared in the past from training exercises,” the department said via Facebook. “With just one incident, [it] proves why we do what we do.”
All agencies involved are part of regional coordination efforts for water-based emergencies, ensuring timely and cooperative responses to incidents in the Arthur Kill and surrounding waterways.
The boat’s exact cause of flooding was not released, and the incident remains under review.