1 rescued and 2 still being sought after fishing boat sinks off coast of NJ

1 rescued, 2 sought after fish boat sinks off NJ

TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Coast Guard crews are searching for two Virginia men missing after a fishing boat sank off southern New Jersey.

One crew member was found in a life raft shortly after officials received a distress signal from the Alisha Marie around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Crystalynn Kneen says Robert Mark Cooper, of Point Pleasant, was conscious and responsive when found. He told rescuers he was the only one to get into the raft.

Still missing Thursday are William Brown Jr. and Joseph Bell, both of Newport News, Va.

Cooper says the boat rolled after a large wave hit it.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — Coast Guard crews continued to search Thursday morning for two crew members missing after a 38-foot fishing boat sank hours earlier off the coast of southern New Jersey.

Another crew member was found in a life raft shortly after officials received a distress signal from the Alisha Marie at about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The man, who was conscious and responsive when found, told rescuers he was the only one to get into the raft, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Crystalynn Kneen. The man said the boat — which was off the coast of Barnegat Light, N.J. — went down soon after it was hit by a large wave “that caused it to roll,” though it was not immediately clear where it struck the vessel.

After the Coast Guard received the distress signal, watchstanders contacted the boat’s owner and confirmed it had survival suits, flares and a life raft aboard. Meanwhile, a helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City soon found the raft and brought the man to safety.

The man, whose name was not released, was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, where he was being treated for undisclosed injuries. Authorities would not identify the missing crew members, pending notification of their families.

Kneen said crews would continue to search for the pair “until it’s determined there is no chance for survival.” She said officials make that determination by considering such factors as water temperature, weather and the health of the missing.

It has been a tough year in New Jersey for the commercial fishing industry. Nine commercial fishermen operating out of Cape May have died at sea so far in 2009.

Three people died last month when the Sea Tractor sank off Cape May, and the body of the Sea Tractor’s owner was found when it washed ashore at a North Carolina wildlife refuge. And the Lady Mary — another North Carolina-based boat that operated out of Cape May — sank in March, killing six of the seven crew members on board.

A joint Coast Guard-National Transportation Safety Board investigation is trying to determine the cause of the latter accident. The boat owner, Royal Smith Sr., who lost two sons and a brother in the disaster, believes the Lady Mary was struck by another vessel that then left the area.