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Chopper rescues man who spent 4 hours in ocean

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- A Coast guard helicopter early Sunday rescued a 45-year-old man who'd spent four hours in stormy waters dozens of miles off New Jersey, reports CBS New York.

The Coast Guard says it received a Mayday call from a vessel around 10 p.m. Saturday, prompting a massive Coast Guard search.

The man was located about 44 miles off Cape May by another boat, the Maersk Wesport, which tossed him a life preserver and pulled the man from the rough sea.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew based in Atlantic City then arrived and used a cable to hoist the man up into the aircraft.

A Coast Guard petty officer caught dramatic rescue on video:

The man was taken to an Atlantic City hospital.

It wasn't clear Sunday what his condition was or how he ended up in the water.

"The incredible teamwork and coordination between multiple Coast Guard assets and the Maersk Wesport proved vital in locating and medevacing the survivor despite intense thunderstorms and darkness," Tamara Whalen, a helicopter pilot involved in the rescue, said in a statement. "Each member was critical to insuring the safe return of the survivor to his family."

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