A man clinging to a piling about 40 feet from shore in Raritan Bay was pulled to safety Thursday after a Good Samaritan offered up his boat so firefighters and police officers could reach him. Officials said the man was experiencing exhaustion and a medical episode when rescuers arrived.
According to NJ.com, firefighters and police officers boarded the stranger's boat to close the distance to the man, who was holding onto the piling in the water. Keyport Fire Department said firefighter Jeremy Susser then entered the water himself and helped the man climb aboard the boat shortly after 5 p.m.
Handoff at the Boat Ramp
Once the boat reached shore, the man was turned over to emergency workers waiting at the boat ramp for treatment, per the same account. From there, emergency workers brought him to an area hospital. The report noted that additional information was not immediately available.
Details about the man himself, including his name, age and condition, have not been released, and the precise location of the piling and boat ramp was not specified in the report. The Keyport Fire Department's full statement on the rescue was not made public beyond the brief account relayed by the news outlet.
Not the First Time a Stranger's Boat Has Mattered
Good Samaritans with boats have played a role in other New Jersey water emergencies in recent years. In July 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard and a Good Samaritan rescued a mariner from a capsized 15-foot sailboat in Barnegat Bay. A separate 2025 account described a boater who was once stranded on a capsized vessel before a Good Samaritan came to his aid ahead of the Coast Guard's arrival.
New Jersey's waterways have also produced their share of unpredictable hazards for rescue crews themselves. In July, a Carteret Fire Department marine unit reportedly collided with a whale and took on water, according to ABC7 New York.
