Mystery rescuer saves 22 people off sinking charter boat in NJ

SEA ISLE CITY — A good Samaritan rescued 22 people from a sinking charter boat on Monday night.

The unidentified boater showed up when they saw The Starfish taking on water after hitting the Townsend Inlet Bridge around 6:50 p.m. and got everyone back to shore, U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Cynthia Oldham told New Jersey 101.5.

"Great job to the 'Good Sam' who helped out. We're not really sure who that is. Our station boat got on scene but the 'Good Sam' had already rescued the people and the salvage companies were already helping out the boat," Oldham said.

Northstar Marine and Sea Tow took care of the boat into the evening hours on Monday, according to Oldham.

Compliments for the crew

One of the passengers on board The Starfish thanked the crew for thow they handled the situation.

"We were on this boat when the incident occurred. We could not have asked for things to be handled any better," passenger Kristy Thomas Waff wrote on the Starfish Boats' Facebook page. "The first priority of Capt Mike and 1st Mate Kevin was passenger safety and when it became apparent that the SF would not make it back to the dock, we were quickly and safely moved to another boat by Captain Bob and taken back to the dock."

No one was injured and the was no leak of fuel into the water, Oldham said. Coast Guard divers confirmed there is no damage to the boat's fuel tanks.

Starfish Boats said on Facebook that the boat was damaged and will be inoperable for “some time” but vowed to return to service. The company will contact anyone with a scheduled trip.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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