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A surfacing whale struck a New Jersey fire department boat Friday, forcing firefighters to abandon the vessel as it returned from a July 4 marine security assignment in New York Harbor, officials said.
The Carteret Fire Department said Marine Unit 2 was returning to Carteret waters around 4:30 p.m. Friday after assisting with a regional special operations marine security detail in the New York/New Jersey Port area when a whale breached beneath the vessel’s stern near the mouth of Raritan Bay.
The department said the whale strike caused catastrophic damage to the boat, which immediately began taking on water, giving firefighters only seconds to abandon the vessel.
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All firefighters aboard escaped without injury, according to the department.
Officials said a nearby recreational jet ski operator and another boater immediately came to the firefighters’ aid before members of the Perth Amboy Fire Department’s marine unit arrived and helped rescue the crew from the water.
A nearby recreational vessel reported seeing multiple whales breaching before and after the collision, the Carteret Fire Department said.
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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.
“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.”
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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.
