Police Lights (Photo: Jason Rojas/Flickr)
Rescuers were searching for a man who apparently fell off a jet-ski in Barnegat Bay around sunset Sunday night.
State Police Sgt. Lawrence Peele confirmed state troopers as well local police and rescue workers were searching the bay in several areas off Toms River, Brick and Lavallette. The incident itself appeared to occur near Shelter Cove, an area of the bay northwest of the Route 37 bridges.
By 9 p.m., a slew of state police boats were on scene, and Toms River volunteer firefighters launched boats from Ocean Beach Marina to assist. Marine police officers from Brick were also called to search. The man, Peele said, was described as being in his 50s.
There was no reported accident, though the facts were sketchy Sunday night. An unconfirmed report stated the victim may not have been wearing a life jacket at the time he fell off the watercraft.
Sunday night’s incident comes just one day after another watercraft rider was killed in an accident in the bay. Saturday’s fatal crash occurred just north of the bridge.