The Coast Guard and a Seastreak ferry saved four people on a sinking boat Saturday afternoon off the New Jersey shore.

Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook watchstanders received a mayday alert on VHF-FM radio channel 21 around 3:50 p.m. Saturday that a pleasure boat was taking on water, according to a release sent to Navy Times.

Sector New York issued an urgent marine information broadcast and ordered boat crews from both Stations Sandy Hook and New York to rescue them.

The Seastreak ferry got there first, less than five minutes after the broadcast went out. The ferry crew helped all four passengers off the boat until a Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook 29-foot Response Boat-Small arrived at 4:05 p.m., officials said.

They transferred the four people onto the boat shortly before the vessel capsized into Sandy Hook Bay.

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It’s now marked as a navigational safety hazard until the owner can arrange a salvage operation to haul the boat to shore.

All four passengers were wearing life jackets and suffered no injuries, authorities said.

They were taken to the Sandy Hook station.

About Carl Prine

Prine came to Navy Times after stints at the San Diego Union-Tribune and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

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