Coast Guard chopper medevacs ailing man from cruise ship off New Jersey coast

A Coast Guard helicopter airlifted an ailing 70-year-old man from a cruise ship off the New Jersey coast to a hospital in Atlantic City in a nighttime operation over the weekend.

The Coast Guard said the Anthem of the Seas was 17 miles off Little Egg Harbor on Saturday night when the crew called for assistance for a passenger who was suffering severe abdominal issues and needed a higher level of medical care than was available on the cruise ship.

The crew of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City rendezvoused with the ship and winched the man, as well as his son, from the vessel’s deck, the Coast Guard said. The chopper flew the pair to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.

The Coast Guard said the patient received the care he needed, but provided no additional information about the man or his condition.