NYC Ferry crew spots boater in need of rescue from rough waters of Jamaica Bay off Rockaway Park (original) (raw)

The crew on an NYC Ferry saw a man in the water next to his capsized boat on Jamaica Bay off Rockaway Park and alerted the FDNY and the Coast Guard as a storm intensified Saturday, June 6.

File photo by Michael Appleton/NYC Mator’s Office

Crew members aboard a NYC Ferry spotted a man struggling in the choppy waters of Jamaica Bay off Beach 119th Street in Rockaway Park and alerted the FDNY and the Coast Guard just before 8:15 p.m. on Saturday night.

The man had been in a small boat that took on water when a squall line with wind gusts over 60 miles per hour wreaked havoc across the borough on June 6. The boater’s vessel capsized and sank. He was removed from the water by FDNY rescue teams as onlookers cheered from the Bay Wall and the Wharf Restaurant docks near Beach 116th Street.

The man was transported by EMS to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. One firefighter was transported to an area hospital with a minor injury.

NYC Ferry supported the FDNY in the rescue during conditions and then proceeded to the Rockaway Landing at Beach 108th Street along Beach Channel Drive.

“I am very thankful for the fast response both from the ferry crew and our first responders,” Council Member Joann Ariola told QNS. “Things can go south very quickly on the water, but fortunately the right people were in the right place at the right time, and a tragedy was averted.”