A New Jersey fire department boat was badly damaged Friday when a surfacing whale struck the vessel, forcing firefighters to jump into the water as they returned from a July 4 marine security assignment in New York Harbor, officials said.
According to the Carteret Fire Department, Marine Unit 2 was heading back toward Carteret waters at about 4:30 p.m. after taking part in a regional special operations marine security detail in the New York/New Jersey Port area. Near the mouth of Raritan Bay, a whale breached beneath the stern of the boat.
The impact caused catastrophic damage, the department said, and the vessel began taking on water almost immediately. Firefighters had only seconds to abandon the boat.
Carteret Emergency Services’ Marine Unit 2 is shown docked before it was hit by a surfacing whale near the mouth of Raritan Bay on July 4, an incident that forced firefighters to abandon the vessel. (Carteret Fire Department & EMS Division)
All firefighters who were on board were able to escape without injury, officials said.
Help came quickly from nearby boaters. The department said a recreational jet ski operator and another boater responded first, assisting the firefighters until members of the Perth Amboy Fire Department’s marine unit arrived and helped pull the crew from the water.
The Carteret Fire Department also said a nearby recreational vessel reported seeing several whales breaching in the area both before and after the collision.
Carteret Fire Department’s Marine Unit 2 patrols New York Harbor before a whale surfaced beneath the vessel’s stern, causing catastrophic damage, officials said. (Carteret Fire Department) (Carteret Emergency Services Marine Unit)
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under review, and officials said additional information will be released as it becomes available.
Mayor Dan Reiman described the incident as a “harrowing experience” in a public statement, saying the surfacing whale struck the vessel beneath its stern and caused catastrophic damage.
Carteret Fire Department’s Marine Unit 2 partially sinks after a whale surfaced beneath the vessel near the mouth of Raritan Bay on July 4. Nearby boaters and firefighters rescued the crew, officials said. (Carteret Fire Department)
“While the Carteret Fire Department Marine Unit regularly trains to rescue civilians from the water and respond to marine emergencies, fires, and vehicle incidents, an event of this nature is something no one anticipates,” the fire department said. “Understandably, it has left those involved shaken, but we are incredibly thankful that everyone returned home safely to their families.”
The department used the incident to remind boaters, jet ski operators and kayakers to wear properly fitted life jackets, noting that every firefighter aboard was wearing one when the boat was damaged.
Officials have not identified the species of whale involved. It was not clear whether the animal was injured.
