CAPE MAY, N.J. — The Coast Guard located an overdue jet skier Wednesday at about 8:30 a.m. in Great Sound.
Found was Thomas Graham, 68, of Stone Harbor.
An MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City spotted Graham on his jet ski waving a flag. The aircrew directed surface assets to Graham’s location.
“We were coming over the water and I saw the jet ski first,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class James Caliendo, the air crewmember who first spotted Graham. “Then I saw Graham standing on his jet ski waving what looked like a green flag, my adrenaline started going. We circled Graham and hovered near his location. This alerted the others looking for Graham to his location. They came over, took him aboard another jet ski and transferred him onto a boat.”
Graham was reported overdue Tuesday after not returning from riding his jet ski. Coast Guard crews and the New Jersey State Police searched for Graham for more than 13 hours by air and sea, covering more than 68 square miles.
Graham was transferred to Cape Regional Medical Center in good condition.
