22 people rescued from sinking charter boat at the Jersey Shore, Coast Guard says

A Good Samaritan helped rescue passengers

The Starfish sank with 22 people onboard (USCG Mid-Atlantic / Twitter)

A good Samaritan who helped rescue 22 people from a sinking ship at the New Jersey Shore has been praised by the US Coast Guard.

US Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Cynthia Oldham told NJ.com that a charter boat named Starfish hit the Townsend Inlet Bridge on Monday.

Ms Oldham said the boat then began taking on water, about 2.5 miles south of Sea Isle City.

A good Samaritan came to the aid of the charter ship to rescue its passengers, all of whom were taken to docks in Sea Isle City.

No injuries were reported and according to the US Coast Guard, there was no pollution reported as a result of the incident.

A commercial salvage operation was underway on Monday evening to remove the Starfish from the water.

The Starfish is opened by a family-owned business who have operated charter services in New Jersey since the 1950s, a website says.

In a statement seen by ABC6 News, the Starfish company said it thanked those who helped rescue passengers and that it hoped to return services soon.

“Thank you for the kind messages, calls and comments we have received so far regarding the incident this afternoon. We are hopeful however the boat does have damage and will be inoperable for some time. All passengers, mate and captain are okay. If you have upcoming scheduled trips we will be reaching out one by one, please give us some time to do so. We will be back!”