'Unpredictable': Coast Guard rescues 2 stranded duck hunters in New Jersey

BRIGANTINE, N.J. - The Coast Gard used a helicopter to rescue two duck hunters who became stranded in southern New Jersey.

The hunters got off their boat to hunt on an island near Little Egg Inlet in Brigantine on Tuesday, the Coast Guard said. But the hunters were unable to recover their boat and shallow water prevented a towing company from reaching them.

The Coast Guard said the hunters had only one bottle of water, no food and cellphones with little charge left as the temperature neared freezing.

The helicopter crew hoisted the hunters to safety and took them to Air Station Atlantic City.

“This case could have had a much different result,” said David Umberger, command duty officer at the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Command Center. “The water is an unpredictable place and a potentially fatal place for the unprepared, especially given the freezing water temperatures this time of year. ”