Dead dolphin washed ashore

A dead dolphin washed up on the beach in Laurence Harbor this week, leading officials to investigate how it may have wound up in Raritan Bay and what happened to it.

Authorities were notified that the 4-foot-long sea mammal was on the beach at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, according to Old Bridge Police Lt. Robert Weiss.

The dead dolphin washed in with the tide and became lodged in mud between the beach's first and second jetties, he said. It remained about 50 yards away from the high-tide line.

"The tide came in, and when it went out, it just left it," Weiss explained.

By noon, police were arranging for a local fire department to remove the dolphin from the beach.
The Brigantine Animal Stranding and Rescue Center was contacted, and police were asked to provide that organization with digital pictures of the dolphin in order to better assess the condition of the remains, Weiss noted.

"We don't normally see dolphins in the Raritan Bay," he said.

The exact reason for the dolphin's death or the turn of events that led to it remain unknown. For now all that is known is that the dolphin had died prior to being washed ashore, Weiss noted.