New Jersey
Young humpback whale dies after becoming beached in Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Another whale has died after becoming beached on the coast of the Jersey Shore, according to officials with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
The agency says they received a report from the New Jersey Department of Environmental at 3:00 p.m. on Friday that their aerial survey team spotted the whale on the southern end of Long Beach Island. The Coast Guard, who was on a routine helicopter flight, was able to divert and locate the whale just before sunset. They were able to determine that the whale beached on a sandbar, and was only able to be accessed by boat.
Due to tidal conditions and the whale being located late in the day, members of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and the New Jersey State Police Marine unit were not able to access the whale until Saturday morning. Once they arrived on scene the whale was identified as a young humpback measuring at 29 feet in length. When the team examined the whale further they found that the mammal was lethargic and in “very thin” body condition. They also found wounds from an apparent propeller strike. Their final prognosis was the whale’s health was “extremely poor” and was unlikely to survive.
Due to the incoming tide on Saturday and the lack of daylight, officials from the stranding center administered sedatives to keep the whale comfortable overnight until operations could continue the next morning in the daylight and at low tide. When they arrived back the next morning along with operators from Sea Tow of Atlantic City, they discovered the mammal had passed away sometime in the overnight hours.
The whale was first seen in the New York Bight on October 2nd by American Princess Cruises. At that time, it was evident that the young whale had experienced significant trauma due to propeller strikes that were still in the process of healing, and the wounds were impacting the animal’s ability to feed based on the very thin body condition.
Additional information will be shared as it becomes available on the Marine Mammal Stranding Center’s website.
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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