Dolphin dies on NJ beach despite rescue attempts

A dolphin that swam onto a Lavallette beach on Friday didn't survive attempts to rescue it.

The dolphin first appeared in the surf, according to an Asbury Park Press report, and resisted attempts by rescuers with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine to redirect it away from the surf and back out into the ocean. Instead, the dolphin swam to the beach and died.

Bob Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, told the paper that the dolphin was already in a weakened state when rescuers got to it.

A cause of death is likely to be determined after a necropsy is performed by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Schoelkopf told the paper.