U.S. Coast Guard rescues boater near Barnegat Inlet

An 80-year old man whose 16-foot boat ran aground near the Barnegat Inlet on Monday evening was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The man's son reached out to watchstanders at Coast Guard Delaware Bay after his father didn't come home at sunset on Monday.

The 80-year old man had also left home without any communication devices.

He only had a life jacket and a whistle while on his boat.

Once they had the information from the son, U.S. Coast Guard members from Station Barnegat Light and Air Station Atlantic City as well as a New Jersey State Police aviation unit went to search for the missing boater.

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State Police found the man and then the Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter hoisted him up to safety ultimately bringing him to Island Beach State Park in Berkeley Township.

EMS was waiting for the rescue, but the Coast Guard did not release any further information following the man being brought to Island Beach State Park.

“This case really emphasized the importance of letting someone know your whereabouts before you get underway,” Cmdr. Brett Workman, Sector Delaware Bay Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, said in a written statement from the U.S. Coast Guard. “The family knew where he was departing from, where he planned to go, and when he was expected to return. Since his family knew his float plan, we knew where to look, and were ultimately able to locate and rescue him. In addition to letting someone know your float plan, it is always recommended that mariners have reliable means of communication when they are on the water.”