U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Steve Strohmaier (archive).
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Coast Guard suspended its search Tuesday at 6:50 p.m. for a man who reportedly entered the water after falling off his boat near Heckscher State Park, New York.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center received an initial report Monday at approximately 11 p.m. from Suffolk County Fire Rescue Emergency Services (FRES), of a man in his mid-forties falling overboard from his boat and not resurfacing. The man was reportedly not wearing a life jacket.
Coast Guard Station Fire Island, Coast Guard Station Jones Beach, Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and the Coast Guard Auxiliary utilized multiple assists and conducted search patterns spanning a total of 234 square miles.
Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Zachary Hupp (archive).
Personnel and assets from Suffolk County FRES, Suffolk County Marine, Suffolk County Aviation, Great River Fire Department and Sea Tow also participated in the search effort.
“Suspending a search for missing or overdue boaters is never an easy decision to make,” said Capt. Kevin Reed, commander Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound. “We search for every person as if we are searching for one of our own and my heart is with the friends and families who have been impacted by this unfortunate circumstance.”
The Coast Guard search is suspended pending the development of new information.
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