Crime & Safety
State Police Help Barnegat Bay Kayakers Lost After Storm
A storm that swept through left a man and his son unable to navigate their way back to Island Beach State Park in the dark, police said.
ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, NJ — A pair of kayakers who got stranded in the Sedge Islands Saturday when a storm moved in unexpectedly were helped to safety by state troopers, New Jersey State Police said.
Ken Staunton and his son, Christopher, were fishing in Barnegat Bay from kayaks Saturday evening when a storm swept in, state police said in a post on Facebook. The two were trying to return to docks at Island Beach State Park but in the dark were unable to navigate their way back.
Detective Sgt. Kenneth Lutz and Sgt. Christopher Carney responded to the 10:10 p.m. call and when they arrived, worked with dispatchers to quickly locate the two kayakers on one of the islands.
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Because the water was so shallow, the troopers were not able to pull right up to the island's shoreline. But they lit a path for the two, who were able to paddle out to the troopers' vessel, state police said.
The Stauntons were helped onto the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit's vessel and taken back to the docks at Island Beach State Park.
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There were no injuries reported.
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