Dolphin Found Swimming in New York City Creek Freed

A distressed dolphin found swimming in a shallow section of a Brooklyn Creek has reportedly freed itself.

The dolphin was discovered Thursday morning, with police saying the animal had swam under a trash boom at the mouth of Coney Island Creek during high tide, NBC New York reported.

The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation quickly arrived on the scene, where they found the dolphin swimming in circles, surfacing every two to three minutes.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) removed the trash boom in hopes that the dolphin would swim back to sea during high tide, which it reportedly was able to do that night, according to Gothamist.

"If they get in really shallow water, they can get stressed out," police Lt. Barry Duignan told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond on Thursday. "He could be sick for having swam into such a shallow body of water like this."

Prior to the dolphin swimming to freedom, NBC New York reported that a harbor unit and aviation unit had arrived on the scene, as well as many of the local residents.

"It's just so rare to see that over here in Brooklyn, especially down the block from our house," Emily Salazar of Coney Island told the news outlet.

"It's just really sad. It's not really safe there because it's really dirty and contaminated, so there's a possibility something could happen to him," Karla Mosso, also of Coney Island, said.

An injured dolphin that became stranded in Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal earlier this year did not fare as well. The canal where it was discovered had been declared a Superfund site in 2010 after the Environmental Protection Agency declared it "one of the nation's most extensively contaminated water bodies." Discovered on a Friday, the dolphin was announced dead a day later.