1 Dead, 1 Injured After Boat Sinks Off NJ

The Coast Guard rescued a man on Thursday after the 63-foot boat that he was on sank seven miles south of Cape May.

Rescuers weren't, however, able to save the boat's owner Gregory Arlotta. The 62-year-old Fort Myers, Fla. man had recently purchased the boat in New York and had asked friend Eric Hopkins to accompany him to New Orleans.

Hopkins, 42, of Washington, D.C. and Arlotta started to experience high waves around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The Coast Guard at the Delaware Bay Sector received a call around 1:35 a.m. Thursday from a member of the New Jersey State Police reporting a boat with two people on board taking on water.

A MH-65 rescue helicopter crew and 47-foot motor lifeboat crews arrived at the scene where they found Hopkins unresponsive. He was responsive and taken to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City where he remained in critical condition Thursday night.

Arlotta's body was never recovered.


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