Second Distress Call In Less Than A Week Not A Hoax? [AUDIO]

The Coast Guard responds to yet another wild goose chase distress call over the weekend.

However, officials say it isn’t necessarily the hoax that many thought it was.

At first, several people jumped the gun thinking it was the second phony distress call in less than a week. The first took place off the coast of Sandy Hook involving a call saying there was an explosion on a yacht. But Coast Guard Petty Officer Nick Ameen tells Townsquare Media New Jersey that at this point, Sunday’s incident off the coast of Cape May doesn’t appear to be malicious in nature and is being handled as an uncorrelated mayday and not a hoax.

A helicopter was discharged Sunday afternoon and found nothing. Officer Ameen says “often times, these types of calls come from someone who thinks they’re in trouble but they manage to get out of the danger themselves and forget to tell our office. It’s one of the reasons why we can’t stress enough, the importance of communication.”

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According to Ameen, they get several emergency calls like these each month that end up being false alarms or uncorrelated reports. They take each and every call that comes in very seriously.

Ameen says “it could have been a miscommunication or an incorrect use of marine emergency lingo. What we try and tell everyone is simple. If you are going to call our offices, be sure to speak clearly and provide us with as much detail as possible. Staying calm is also key to getting accurate information to us.”

With this past weekend’s incident, the Coast Guard could reopen the case if they get any additional information or calls.