3 dead after New Jersey boat capsizes

A boat capsized about five miles from shore, killing the three fishermen on board, authorities said Thursday.

The 25-foot pleasure boat carrying the men was reported missing by a friend Wednesday night when they didn't return.

The Coast Guard searched through the night for the men using boats, a helicopter and a plane. A helicopter crew member using night-vision goggles spotted the boat early Thursday and the bodies of Mark Stroud and Danny Pavic, both of Galloway.

A salvage crew sent to recover the boat found the body of Jerry Berwick, 64, of Philadelphia, inside the cabin Thursday afternoon, the Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard Spokesman Nyx Cangemi said that there were life jackets on the boat, but that the men were not wearing them. The water temperature was about 50 degrees, he said.

Officials were waiting for a medical examiner to identify the body.

The men launched from Oyster Creek and were headed for Little Egg Inlet, which is about 10 miles north of where their boat was found.

The search follows another fishing accident Wednesday in which a 72-year-old man was killed after being trapped underneath a capsized boat in Maurice River Township. Two others survived.