Firefighters rescued a person who was stuck up to his chest in mud after the personal watercraft he was riding became disabled in North Wildwood, the department said.
Emergency crews responded by boat and on land after a call for the stranded rider came in around 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the fire department.
“Crews could hear the wave-runner operator blowing his whistle, but it took some time to locate his exact position (due to) poor visibility,” the department said in a statement.
Rescuers located him 1,000 feet from the closest area reachable by boat, officials said. With a helicopter unavailable, two firefighters from North Wildwood’s Ladder 2 trekked into the marsh.
“Upon reaching the area they found the victim had sunk to approximately waist/chest depth attempting to free himself from the mud,” officials wrote in the statement. “The victim was safely removed from the mud and was assisted back to the awaiting boats.”
The rescue operation took about three hours, according to the department. Located near West Spruce Avenue, the area includes small islands and is not far from Grassy Point.
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