Officers in Atlantic City, New Jersey, struggled to find a man on a WaveRunner who called 911 after running aground during low tide. He was stuck deep in the marsh and stranded for hours.

"His engines sucked up a lot of the mud when he ran aground; he was unable to get it started," said Sgt. Nick Berardis, Atlantic City Police Department.

He was also unable to swim, being nearly two miles from shore. It happened on Sept. 28 in the bay behind Atlantic City High School.

Police put multiple drones equipped with thermal imaging technology in the air, and they said the drones were able to spot the man's location. He was quickly rescued. Berardis is one of the drone operators.

"We flew over there, made sure he wasn't in any distress. At that point, the fire department responded, and we were able to coordinate with the New Jersey State Police Marine Unit," Berardis said.

First responders in Atlantic City started using their first drone in 2018.

Since then, the program has expanded. Officials said a dozen drones are now being used in a number of ways to improve public safety.

"Gives us eyes we wouldn't normally have," said Dave Russo, the deputy chief of Atlantic City Beach Patrol.

In late August, the Atlantic City Beach Patrol said a drone equipped with speakers was deployed to help a surfer struggling in the water.

"We basically said if you're in distress, raise your hand. He raised his hand. If you need assistance, raise your hand again, he raised his hand," Russo said. "They launched a Sea-Doo and brought the surfer back in to the beach."

A few weeks before that, drones were also used to help the Atlantic City Fire Department strategize and safely attack a fire at the old New Jersey Avenue School building.

"Drones were able to detect where the hotspots were, where the fire is spreading to areas where we couldn't put people because of the high heat," said Chief Scott Evans, Atlantic City Fire Department.

Officials call the technology a game-changer, helping them have faster responses to emergencies and more positive outcomes.