NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. — Beachgoers in New Jersey were startled Tuesday when a boat ran aground in North Wildwood, authorities said.
There were no injuries on the beach or in the water, NJ.com reported.
The incident occurred at about 12:30 p.m. EDT. Ryan Rettew, of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, told WPVI he was relaxing with his mother on beach chairs when they saw the boat.
”It came right at us. And when I saw it coming I didn’t really see anyone in the boat,” Rettew told the television station. “I thought it was like a driverless boat.
It would seem #BREAKING news has followed me while on vacation. Boat runs ashore in North Wildwood. Happened around Noon at 13th and the Beach. No word on injuries. @6abc @TrishHartman pic.twitter.com/atgBgY599i
— Chuck McDade (@Squared6abc) July 20, 2021
“I just kept thinking, ‘The boat’s going to turn at some point!’ And then it didn’t, it just came straight at us,” Tiffany Rettew told WPVI. “We jumped out of our chairs and ran -- our chairs got squished -- and I’m just glad we’re here and we’re alive.”
Photos on social media showed a crowd near the boat, which was resting in the sand and surf near the shore.
“Everyone in the ocean at 13th Avenue evacuated the water before the boat hit shore and no one on the beach was injured,” the North Wildwood Police Department said in a statement. “It is unknown why the boat ran ashore at this time.”
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