A 20-foot minke whale died Aug. 2 in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, after being struck by a boat, which nearly capsized and forced a passenger overboard, according to officials.

The whale was first spotted at the bay inlet at 2:45 p.m. local time, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC), which received a call from New Jersey State Police.

Rescue crews responded with the U.S. Coast Guard seeking a way to guide the whale out of the bay, MMSC wrote on social media.

But before they could, the whale was struck by a vessel at 3:40 p.m. and was reported dead by officials hours later.

Video shows moment boat strikes whale in New Jersey

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center conducted a necropsy – an animal autopsy – and found that the whale was in thin body condition. According to the center’s Instagram post, the whale had external superficial cuts, with bruising present in the blubber and muscle in the areas of trauma on the dorsal side.

“Various biological samples were collected during the necropsy examination and will be sent to a pathologist for further analysis,” according to the statement. The results of the examination will be shared on the MMSC’s website.

Are whale deaths on the rise?

USA TODAY previously reported on multiple whale deaths on both the Atlantic coast and in the San Francisco Bay.

Two dozen whales have died in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area this year, according to the California Academy of Sciences. Eight of those deaths were caused by a probable or suspected vessel strike. Of the whale deaths, 21 were gray whales, two were unidentified baleen whales, and one was a minke whale.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that since January 2016, there has been an increase in humpback whale mortalities along the Atlantic coast, from Maine through Florida. Of the whales examined through necropsies, about 40% had evidence of human interaction, either by ship strike or entanglement.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows boat hitting minke whale, nearly capsizing