U.S. Coast Guard, police and fire units searching Oyster Bay Harbor, Long Island Sound for missing 19-year-old man
A view toward Long Island Sound from Centre Island Beach on Tuesday as the search continued for a 19-year-old man who went overboard Monday night in area waters. Credit: Danielle Silverman
The U.S. Coast Guard, police marine units and local fire departments continued their search Tuesday for a 19-year-old man who fell overboard from a sailboat in the waters off Centre Island and Bayville late Monday, emergency response officials said.
Nassau County police, the lead agency in the search, said Tuesday the 19-year-old and an 18-year-old friend were aboard a 25-foot sailboat when the 19-year-old went overboard off Centre Island around 11:30 p.m. Unable to locate the missing friend, police said, the 18-year-old then called a friend who took another boat to help search.
The authorities had released no updates on the search late Tuesday afternoon.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that after 911 was notified, according to Nassau police, a multiagency search ensued, involving the police Marine Bureau, police Emergency Services personnel, police Aviation Bureau helicopters, the NYPD Aviation Bureau, Oyster Bay constables and members of the Bayville, Oyster Bay and Centre Island fire departments.
A small search boat from Station Eatons Neck and two Coast Guard helicopters also participated in the overnight search — one from Air Station Cape Cod, the other from Air Station Atlantic City, said U.S. Coast Guard Response Officer Hunter Medley. It was not immediately clear if either station still had a helicopter involved in the search Tuesday afternoon.
Online water temperature monitoring sites reported the temperature for Oyster Bay Harbor on Tuesday as between 58 and 60 degrees. The National Center for Cold Water Safety reports a person immersed in water between 50 and 60 degrees will experience a loss of dexterity within 10-15 minutes — and a likely loss of consciousness within one to two hours. Expected survival time in waters between 50 and 60 degrees is about one to six hours.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”