(CNN) -- A passerby discovered a 30-foot-long whale, still breathing, on a New York beach Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The whale is alive but looks injured, New York Police Department Officer James Duffy said. Judging from pictures, it appears to be a humpback, he said.
It was found near Beach 216th Street and Palmer Place, on the north side of the Breezy Point neighborhood. Around 10:40 Wednesday morning, someone on a morning stroll noticed the whale, half in the water and half in the sand, and called 911.
"We responded. We are keeping it wet and dousing it with water to keep it breathing," Duffy said.
On Wednesday afternoon, police were waiting for the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research, on Long Island, he said.
The Point Breeze Fire Department posted pictures of the whale on social media.
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