Coast Guard Rescues Ailing Woman from Cruise Off Toms River Shore

A woman suffering from heart failure aboard a cruise ship was rescued early Thursday by U.S. Coast Guard officials while the vessel was 20 miles off Toms River's shore. 

Personnel aboard the Splendor, a 952-foot Carnival cruise ship, contacted Coast Guard watchstanders in New York at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday and reported a 66-year-old woman aboard was experiencing heart failure, according to a news release.

A rescue crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City was dispatched to the cruise ship to rescue the woman, who was not immediately identified by authorities. 

The Coast Guard helicopter crew was able to hoist the woman and a nurse aboard and transport them to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The woman was reported to be in stable condition, according to Coast Guard officials.