The Coast Guard recently helped rescue a sea turtle off the coast of New Jersey. The massive creature was spotted by a Good Samaritan who noticed the leatherback was entangled in fishing gear.

The Coast Guard recently helped rescue a sea turtle off the coast of New Jersey. The massive creature was spotted by a Good Samaritan who noticed the leatherback was entangled in fishing gear.

The witness reported the sighting to the Coast Guard. Staffers from the Coast Guard's Atlantic City station along with an employee from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center jumped on a response boat operated by a crew from the Coast Guard's Cape May.

Together the team used GPS coordinates which were given to them by the concerned witness. They successfully located the leatherback turtle, roughly 30 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey.

The crew used their bare hands to control the struggling 800-pound creature and eventually they were able to free it from the fishing gear. Once everything was removed, the leatherback turtle swam off.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Nick Giannaris talked about the rare sighting and rescue. He remarked “It was one of my better experiences being in the Coast Guard, just seeing the animal so close and helping marine life. Everyone was pretty energized about the whole experience.”