PHILIDELPHIA — The Coast Guard, local law enforcement and commercial salvage crews rescued an overdue man Thursday, near Barnegat Bay, New Jersey.
Rescued was John Mazzy, 72, from an aids to navigation dayboard in the vicinity of Oyster Creek Channel.
Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay command center watchstanders received a call at approximately 10 p.m., Wednesday, from Mazzy’s daughter who reported her father was overdue from a clamming trip near Baker’s Basin and Oyster Creek Channel. The watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City helicopter crew and a Station Barnegat Light boatcrew. They also notified local marine rescue crews to conduct searches.
At 2:08 a.m., Thursday, the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew located a 17-foot white Carolina skiff matching Mazzy’s vessel description. The helicopter crew directed the Station Barnegat Light and commercial salvage boatcrews to the vessel, where no one was found aboard. Shortly after, the helicopter crew spotted Mazzy clinging to a nearby dayboard and directed the boatcrews to the location.
The commercial salvage boatcrew arrived on scene and transferred Mazzy, who had hypothermia-like symptoms, from the dayboard to their vessel. The helicopter crew hoisted Mazzy from the commercial vessel and took him to awaiting emergency medical services at Key Harbor Marina for further medical care.
“Mr. Mazzy filed a float plan with his daughter which greatly assisted rescue crews locating him quickly,” said Rick Anderson, an operations unit controller with Sector Delaware Bay. “Mr. Mazzy’s float plan was a verbal plan where he told his daughter where he was leaving from, how long he was going to be out and the locations he was planning to do conduct his fishing. Float plans can significantly increase mariners’ chances of being found swiftly by rescue crews because the crews have areas to initiate their search efforts.”
Local New Jersey law enforcement crews are investigating the cause of the incident.
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