Coast Guard Rescues Man Knocked Off Personal Watercraft In Turbulent NJ Waters

MANASQUAN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A man who was knocked off his personal watercraft while out in the turbulent waters of the Manasquan Inlet was rescued by a Coast Guard crew that happened to be in the area.

The crew was on a training mission Sunday when they saw the waves pushing the man toward a jetty. A rescue swimmer was soon lowered down from a helicopter, and he was able to grab hold of the man and get him to safety shortly before the man hit the rocks.

Between the weather conditions and the situation we were in — right by the jetty — he was in a really bad spot," Petty Officer 3rd Class Billy Arrison, the rescue swimmer, said in a Coast Guard news release about the incident. "It was only a matter of time until he would've washed up on the rocks next to his jet ski."

Officials say the man was only in the water for a few minutes, but was exhausted from trying to swim through the waves. His name was not released, and authorities say he did not appear to suffer any serious injuries.

High winds and heavy rain battered the Jersey shore Saturday night, and the area was under a coastal flood warning for much of Sunday.

On Saturday, strong winds buried the Point Pleasant boardwalk, which usually sits about 4 feet above the beach. In North Wildwood, what once was a waterfront home ended up in the bay after it was swept away by the powerful waves.

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