New Jersey
Whale watchers get rare look at blue whale off New Jersey coast
What to do if you encounter a stranded marine mammal
If you discover a stranded marine mammal along the Jersey Shore, contaqct the Marine Mammal stranding center at 609-266-0538.
It was something they never expected to see: the largest mammal in the world swimming off the coast of New Jersey.
Last weekend, about 50 passengers and crew aboard the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center vessel American Star got a view of a blue whale.
Such a sighting off the coast of New Jersey is rare, according to marine experts.
“The blue whale was a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife opportunity for everyone on board. We have a team of marine mammal and pelagic bird experts with many years of experience logging hundreds of pelagic trips that have never seen a blue whale in the Atlantic before this trip,” said Melissa Laurino, research director for the center.
Andrea Gomez, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said also confirmed the sighting was a blue whale.
According to NOAA, the blue whale was most likely from the Western Northern Atlantic Stock, which ranges from the Artic to at least the mid-latitude waters. Little is known about the population size of this stock but 402 of them were documented by photographs between 1980 and 2008.
This stock of blue whales though are most frequently sighted in the waters off eastern Canada, with the majority of records from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In 2008, NOAA confirmed three sightings of blue whales south of Montauk Point, New York.
More: What is this bug-eyed fish showing up in Jersey Shore waters? Biologists have an answer
This stock of blue whales can grow to 90 feet and weigh over 100,000 pounds. The stock of blue whales found near the Antarctic grow bigger, up to 110 feet and over 330,000 pounds. Their hearts are the size of a small car.
There she blows
Laurino said they saw the blue whale on a 24-hour trip about 50 to 60 miles offshore of Cape May. They were in an area of 200 feet of water when they saw a tall white blow spout shoot upwards from a mile away. When they got within range they saw that is was a blue whale.
She said they were 100% certain they were observing a blue whale because of its massive size, small dorsal fin three-quarters of the way down its body, mottled skin and aquamarine coloration under the water.
She said the whale was by itself, which she said is not unusual for baleen whales here. The whale surfaced before it eventually dove deep and did not return.
More: NJ divers find shipwreck 168 years after hit-and-run plunged passengers to murky seafloor
“We observed the animal for one surfacing sequence, about 10-15 minutes, we waited 25 minutes for it to resurface and when it did not, we safely left the area,” Laurino said.
Laurino said that was their first documentation of a blue whale on the American Star. They are on the water about 200 days out of the year and collect data on all of their whale and dolphin watches.
“Blue whales exist in the Atlantic, and have been documented via aerial surveys and acoustic buoys, but this is an extremely rare observation. These pelagic trips are an invaluable opportunity for our research to learn more about the dynamic ecosystem off New Jersey,” Laurino said.
The blue whale was not the only marine life passengers saw on the trip. Laurino said they observed about 20 fin whales, pilot whales, several dolphin species, a manta ray that breached the surface and a variety of sea-going birds.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
Police fired tear gas and used horses to push back protesters outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, after nights of demonstrations over conditions inside. New Jersey’s governor put state police in charge and set up protected protest zones.
Published On 30 May 2026
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In New Jersey, Mercer County officials have enacted new policies limiting the ability of federal immigration agents to access and use county property to conduct immigration enforcement operations.
Mercer County Executive Dan Benson issued an executive order and the Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution Friday that bans U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol from using any nonpublic area on county property to enforce immigration law, unless they have obtained a judicial warrant or judicial order.
“From Minneapolis to Delaney Hall, ICE has repeatedly shown a total disregard for the law and for the constitutional rights of citizens and non-citizens alike,” Benson said in a statement. “We respect the Federal Government’s authority to enforce immigration law, but we will not allow them to use County properties to harass our families.”
“With this resolution, we’re sending a clear message that everyone in our community can safely interact with County government, and access County services, without fear,” said Board of Commissioners Chair Terrance Stokes in a statement. “ICE’s actions threaten the fabric of our community, and we will take whatever steps we can, within the bounds of the law, to protect our residents.”
New Jersey and New York City commuters are facing extensive delays in and out of New York Penn Station Friday, with intensifying ripple effects, after an Amtrak work train car on one of the hub’s tracks caught fire.
The FDNY says it was called to the Midtown scene on 31st Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, around 1:30 a.m. Nearly 100 personnel responded. Five civilians were evaluated at the scene by EMS, officials say.
It’s not clear what sparked the fire involving Amtrak’s contractor maintenance vehicles in one of the Hudson River Tunnels. It was knocked down well before 6 a.m., but service on New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and more was expected to see heavy impacts well into the morning rush, with Hudson River trains operating at reduced capacity. Amtrak said it didn’t expect to lift its suspension until at least noon.
Travel Advisory: Due to unforeseen track and signal maintenance resulting from a now extinguished fire in the New York area, all services traveling south of New York (NYP) are temporarily suspended. This suspension is anticipated to be in place until noon at a minimum. Services…
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) May 29, 2026
New Jersey Transit and LIRR also announced delays and cancellations. Cross-honoring and diversion programs were in effect as the situation developed. Complete LIRR service at NY Penn had resumed by around 7 a.m., Friday said, though equipment issues were causing cancellations. Get the latest transit information here.
Video from outside Penn Station showed smoke billowing in the pre-dawn hours, as emergency personnel stood by with stretchers awaiting any potential victims.
Amtrak is investigating the cause of the fire.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause,” the agency’s latest announcement said, pledging to provide updates as new information becomes available.
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