LATEST NEWS: Three rescued off Cape May as fishing boat takes on water and catches fire


CAPE MAY - A Good Samaritan rescued three people Tuesday from aboard a life raft after abandoning their fishing boat 30 miles southeast of the cape.



The Coast Guard received a call at 6:40 a.m. from a crewman aboard the Miss Dollie reporting they are taking on water and they have a pump that is not keeping up with the flooding. The crewman also reported they have a life raft aboard.


The Coast Guard sent out an urgent marine information broadcast to mariners to request assistance from any nearby boats. A rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May and a rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., were dispatched to the scene.


The crew aboard the fishing boat Amy Marie answered the UMIB and reported they were nine miles from Miss Dollie's location and were en route to assist the crew.


The Amy Marie and its crew arrived on scene and rescued all three people from a life raft.

The Amy Marie and its crew with the survivors aboard are en route to Cape May. Video provided by the Coast Guard appears to show smoke and flames coming from the foundering fishing boat.