Tri-State Marine Units and Dive Team Respond to Walt Whitman Bridge Incident

Westville, NJ - A multi-agency marine rescue task force featuring specialized watercraft from New Jersey and Pennsylvania mobilized Wednesday evening for an emergency rescue operation in the Delaware River near the Walt Whitman Bridge.

At approximately 6:09 p.m. on September 23, 2026, emergency dispatchers struck a marine rescue assignment off the shores of Gloucester City, requesting mutual aid surface-water and dive assets to search and operate within the shipping channel near the suspension span.

The high-priority response assembled marine resources across multiple jurisdictions, including the Gloucester City Fire Department, Westville Fire Department, Camden City Fire Department, and the Philadelphia Fire Department. Responding command and operational units included Battalion 5, Camden City Battalion 2, Squad 5, Dive 3, Marine units GC 5 and WV 7, and Fireboats Westville 7, Camden 1, and Philadelphia 1.

Westville Fire Department personnel launched Fireboat 7 and Marine 7 into the waterway to assist Gloucester City commanders with waterborne search patterns and surface rescue operations. Regional marine and dive assets coordinated sweeps of the surrounding water area until operational objectives were completed and the scene was secured.