A distressed dolphin that was rescued from the Hudson River has died.

Jersey City police received a call Monday afternoon about the dolphin in the Hudson River near the mouth of the Morris Canal. Police went into the water to help an animal control officer who was already on the scene.

Police say that they used bedsheets and towels to keep the dolphin comfortable and to keep it from moving.

Officials held the dolphin for two hours before it was pulled out of the water and taken by staffers with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

“Calm breeds calm. So the calmer you are around any animal or anybody, the calmer they’re going to be,” says Sgt. Casey McKenna. “We were told over the phone just to keep his blowhole out of the water and keep him as wet as possible.”

But despite the efforts, News 12 New Jersey has learned that the dolphin was ill and did not survive.