Rescuers searched for a reported aircraft crash off the coast of Long Beach Island, NJ. The search was called off around 1 p.m. with nothing found according to authorities.
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The aircraft, initially described as a small glider, was reported to have crashed into the ocean around 11:30 a.m., an official with the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office told NJ Advance Media.
The search was called off as of 1 p.m., officials at the scene said. The scene was relatively calm as of 1:15 p.m., with responders standing on the stand and no rescue boats in the water. Crews were beginning to pack up.
A single 911 call came in around 11:30 a.m., Ocean County Sheriff Sheriff Michael Mastronardy told NJ Advance Media. The caller said a paraglider was down in the water about a half a mile off shore, Mastronardy said.
The 911 call seemed authentic, and the caller provided his name and contact information, Mastronardy said.
Video from the scene shows boats and helicopters searching a wide area offshore for about 90 minutes. New Jersey State Police and Coast Guard helicopters were among those participating in the search.
Marie Lazore, who was sitting on the beach near the search area, said members of the beach patrol were asking sunbathers if they had seen a kite surfer or a red kite, but that she had seen neither.
New Jersey State Police officials confirmed they were assisting with the recovery of an aircraft off the coast of Long Beach Island, but no other information was immediately available.
“We have received a report of a plane crash off Long Beach Island,” the Coast Guard said in an earlier Tweet. “Coast Guard has diverted a helo from Air Station Atlantic City and crews from Station Atlantic City and Station Barnegat Light.”
Weather conditions at the time of the incident were calm, with no storms and no major wind gusts reported in the New Jersey region.
“Generally across the area it is clear and sunny,” said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s regional forecast office in New Jersey. ”Winds have been from the northwest or west-northwest ranging from five to 15 miles per hour. We were seeing some gusts up to 20 mph through the morning.” Read more from NJ
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