Howell Trio Rescued From Brick's Forge Pond When Boat Deflates

A ”stick in the mud” is usually the phrase applied to a person seen as ”ruining” others’ fun.

For three Howell men, that phrase took on added meaning on Saturday, after a stick in the muddy bottom of Forge Pond ruined a pleasant day on the water.

The three men were boating on Forge Pond in Brick on Saturday afternoon when their inflatable boat struck a stick about 5:45 p.m., Brick Township police said.

The stick punctured the boat, causing it to deflate and get stuck in a heavily muddy area, police said. The three men -- two aged 22 and one 21-year-old -- were at the far western end of the pond, away from the park, when they got stuck.

The Brick Township Fire Department’s dive team responded with a jetski and a boat and rescued the trio without incident, police said.

There were no injuries and the men suffered no ill effects from being in the chilly water, police said. Their names were not released.

(Map of Forge Pond, via Google maps)