Boat Sinks In Shark-Infested Waters Off Jersey Shore, With 2 Rescued

A boat sunk in shark-infested waters off the Jersey Shore, and two people who were aboard were rescued this weekend.

Coast Guard crews and a good Samaritan rescued the two people 40 miles south of Sandy Hook Friday after their boat sank.

At 9:39 a.m., watchstanders at the first Coast Guard District command center received a distress alert from the 35-foot center console boat, 40 miles off of the coast of Sandy Hook, according to a Coast Guard release.

A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 aircraft was diverted to the area of the signal and located two people in a life raft near an overturned boat and its debris, according to the release.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Atlantic City launched and arrived on scene but was unable to deploy a rescue swimmer in the water due to visible sharks in the area.

A good Samaritan aboard a fishing vessel, who was not identified, nearby rescued the two people from the raft.

A Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook boat crew arrived on scene and safely transported the two people over to the 47-foot Motor Lifeboat and were brought back to Sandy Hook, according to the release.

Read more: New Great White Shark Spotted Off Jersey Shore

Read more: 926-Pound Mako Caught Off New Jersey Coast

No injuries were reported and the cause of the vessel sinking is unknown.

Watch: Top 5 Shark Stories Of Summer 2017

Photo courtesy Coast Guard