The NYPD Harbor Patrol rescued a wayward deer that swam from New Jersey to Governors Island on Tuesday.
The deer was first spotted in Jersey City before jumping into the water near Exchange Place and washing up on Governors Island around mid-day, according to the NYPD.
"It's definitely the first time anything like this happened," said Elizabeth Rapuano, a spokesperson for the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation. "It s a really unique event."
The deer was videotaped running up and down the rocky shoreline below the roadway on Governors Island at around 2 p.m., WABC-TV reported.
“Police responded by tranquilizing the deer,” said an NYPD spokesperson. “They waited for the tranquilizer to take effect and took it to a wildlife preserve.”
It was taken off the island around 3:30 p.m., police said.
“It’s a miracle feat. It’s really incredible," said Edita Birnkrant, the director of the advocacy group Friends of Animals in New York. "That deer must have had an incredible will live.”
The buck was sporting a large rack, which witnesses told NJ.com was at least a 10-pointer.
