A New Hampshire fisherman whose boat was capsized by a breaching whale spoke out about the harrowing experience, detailing the moments leading up to and after the shocking incident caught on video.
Ryland Kenney, who was forced to jump in the water to avoid the whale, joined “America’s Newsroom” alongside one of the teens who helped rescue him, Colin Yager, to discuss his reaction to the incident and why he responded the way he did.
“I was in fight or flight mode, so just trying to get off the boat as quickly as possible because I know it was going under once I heard the whale crunch the engine,” Kenney said on Friday. “So I just kind of jumped sideways, horizontally to get away from everything. When I hit the water… I was in kind of temperature shock because about 55 degrees, so it was really hard for me to catch my breath.”
“I couldn’t locate my friend Greg,” he continued. “He was actually underneath the boat at the time, and it felt like hours, but it was about maybe five seconds. I finally found him, so once we reunited, I felt a little more calm.”
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Shocking video showed the whale breaching out of the water in Portsmouth Harbor on Tuesday morning and overturning the boat after it landed on the vessel.
Colin and his brother Wyatt were fishing on another boat in the harbor when the whale breached. After catching the moment on video, they rushed to help the distressed boaters, WMTW-TV reported.
Ryland Kenney was forced to jump in the water to avoid the whale before teen Colin Yager raced to rescue him. @ryanwhitney6 / XShocking video showed the whale breaching out of the water in Portsmouth Harbor on Tuesday morning and overturning the boat after it landed on the vessel. @ryanwhitney6 / X
“It was just completely insane. I was just looking in the right direction, luckily, and I saw the whole thing happen, and I had my camera out, all ready to record whatever I saw, because I just wanted to record stuff,” Yager said. “I saw it start to go up, so I just pressed the record button and… the rest is on video.”
The US Coast Guard confirmed that neither of the boaters were hurt, and the whale also appeared to be unharmed by the incident, according to WBTS-TV.
Whales are common in New Hampshire waters, especially between June and August, and a whale — possibly the one that breached over the boat — was seen in the same area before it happened.
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Ironically, Kenney’s family asked him about the likelihood of something like this happening prior to the incident.
Colin and his brother Wyatt were fishing on another boat in the harbor when the whale breached. After catching the moment on video, they rushed to help the distressed boaters, WMTW-TV reported. @ryanwhitney6 / X
“I’ve actually taken pictures of the whale breaching, days before, and I had actually had a dinner with my family, and my family was asking me when I was showing them photos of the whale, ‘Aren’t you scared of the whale potentially knocking your… boat in the water?’ And I and I kind of said, ‘Oh, well, I’ve done a lot of research, and the probability of that happening is like lightning strikes,’” he said. “And of course lightning strikes the next day.”
Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
CONCORD – While Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said she opposes increasing highway toll rates across the state, the Senate voted Thursday to increase rates for out-of-state license plate holders.
It now goes to the House for consideration.
This would be a $1 increase for those who have out of state plates going through the tolls at Hooksett, Hampton and Bedford for out-of-state plates, a 75 cent hike for those taking Hampton’s Exit 2 and on the Spaulding turnpike at Rochester, and a 50 cent hike for those taking the exit off I-93 to Hooksett.
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An analysis in the bill shows that this would increase toll revenue by $53.3 million in fiscal year 2027 and go up each year to generate $81.4 million a year in 2036.
Senate Bill 627 passed on a voice vote with two Republicans, Senators Regina Birdsell of Hampstead and William Gannon of Sandown opposing.
Senator Mark E. McConkey, R-Freedom, moved to take the bill off the table and offered an amendment. He said the last time there was a systemwide increase to the turnpike toll was 19 years ago.
“I am sure we could all agree the cost of operations…has continued to escalate when revenue is not rising with it,” and he noted that with an enterprise fund, the state can only spend what it takes in.
The state has just completed a 10-year highway plan and there was a $400 million shortfall in projects that could not be paid for under the current income.
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McConkey said the measure would not increase tolls for New Hampshire drivers with a state license plate.
“Why don’t we ask our neighbors,” to pay a toll increase. “We are getting the best of all worlds,” by passing the bill, he said, including “protecting our residents” and having resources for improvements to the turnpike system.
Sen. Gannon, R-Sandown, asked McConkey if there are any studies on impacts near the border on businesses.
If implemented, McConkey said the state will be the 27th lowest in per mile cost still. McConkey said the bill would also increase from seven to 14 days the amount of time for those with NH license plates to pay for a toll adding there are other states that also have different rates for out-of-state users.
The Hampton toll cost would go from $2 to $3, while Hooksett and Bedford would rise from $1 to $2 for out-of-state plates.
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New Hampshire currently has the lowest rate per mile among states with tolls roads. The governor said she does not support a toll increase.
“We are not going to put a burden on drivers for a toll increase,” Ayotte said. “Families are struggling.”
WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.
At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.
A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.
Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.
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At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.
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