Wall of ice tears apart section of historic keansburg fishing pier

KEANSBURG, N.J. – A powerful surge of bay ice ripped apart a section of the historic Keansburg Fishing Pier late Monday night, sending a 100- to 200-foot portion of the 2,000-foot structure floating into the frigid waters of the Raritan Bay, officials said.

The partial collapse occurred Tuesday morning by what is being described as a “sea of ice pressing against the pier.”

The structure, a centerpiece of the Bayshore waterfront since the early 1900s, has withstood more than a century of storms — but the combination of subfreezing temperatures, shifting tides, and thick ice proved too much this week.

Photo: wall of ice tears apart section of historic keansburg fishing pier

The privately owned pier, operated by the Gehlhaus family along with the adjacent Keansburg Amusement Park and Runaway Rapids Waterpark, has a long history of resilience.

It was originally constructed around 1904 as part of a seaside destination for visitors arriving from New York City by steamboat. Generations of locals and tourists have fished, strolled, and taken in skyline views from the wooden span.

This week’s collapse marks the latest challenge for the century-old landmark. The pier was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, when a six-foot wall of water devastated the waterfront. It was rebuilt between 2013 and 2014 with reinforced pilings and decking meant to resist future storms. Despite those improvements, this winter’s icy assault caused the structure to fail once again.

Local officials said the collapse affected the outer “A section” of the pier, leaving large timbers and decking adrift in the bay. Engineers will inspect the remaining structure in the coming days to determine the extent of the damage and assess whether it remains stable.

Roughly 100 to 200 feet of the Keansburg Fishing Pier collapsed into Raritan Bay.
Thick ice and strong tides caused the failure late Monday night.
The pier, first built in 1904, was rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy and likely could be repaired again.

Phil Stilton Latest posts

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.