POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ – A U.S. Coast Guard crew from Station Manasquan Inlet carried out a dramatic rescue early Saturday morning after a 74-foot vessel with three people aboard began taking on water and broke apart before sinking.
Officials said the distress call came in around 3:55 a.m., reporting that the vessel was rapidly flooding offshore. As Coast Guard personnel raced to the scene, the boat split into two sections, forcing the crew to act quickly to save the people on board.
All three individuals were safely transferred to the Coast Guard vessel without injury. The operation was completed amid rough pre-dawn conditions, and authorities credited the fast response of the rescue team for preventing a tragedy.
No pollution or debris hazards were immediately reported, though the Coast Guard said an assessment of the wreckage and potential environmental impact is underway.
The cause of the vessel’s structural failure remains under investigation.
A Coast Guard crew from Manasquan Inlet rescued three people after their 74-foot boat broke apart and sank early Saturday morning.