'Floats & Boats': 2 Struck By Propellers, 1 Airlifted, Another Arrested At Tices Shoal Event

Two people were injured by propeller strikes during the annual celebration at on Barnegat Bay in Lacey Township, authorities said.

The first incident was reported on Saturday, July 29 at 1:40 p.m., when a man was struck in the leg by a propeller, according to Sgt. Philip Curry, a New Jersey State Police spokesman. The man was airlifted to Atlantic City Medical Center, he said. His condition was not released Monday, Aug. 1.

The second incident was reported on Sunday, July 30 at 3:40 p.m., also on Barnegat Bay, where a 34-year-old man was struck in the abdomen by a propeller, Curry said.

The operator of the vessel in the second incident, Sol Salazar, 38, of Newark, was charged with boating under the influence, Curry said. The victim was taken by ground to Jersey Shore Medical Center, he said. His condition was not released.

The Floats & Boats website bills the event as the biggest float festival at the Jersey Shore, drawing hundreds of people each year.

"Floats & Boats is simple, bring your REALLY COOL floats to Tices Shoal and hang with us for the weekend," the site says. "We gather every year in the the bay (usually just south of the stairs) at Tices to bring together the coolest float party Tices has ever seen. Invite your friends, parents and dogs but make sure they don't come floatless!"

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