Suffolk cops, citizens rescue drivers from water
Suffolk County Police marine units with a vehicle in Forge River in Mastic where they rescued the driver with the help of good Samaritans, officials said. Credit: James Carbone
Suffolk police and good Samaritans rescued two drivers whose vehicles plunged into waterways Tuesday afternoon in Mastic and Patchogue, authorities said.
The two incidents occurred about 23 minutes apart in separate hamlets on the South Shore, according to Suffolk police.
In Mastic, five Suffolk officers rescued a 53-year-old woman after her vehicle became immersed in Forge River. Police said the woman, who was not identified, was driving a 2016 BMW i3 east on Hampton Avenue at 1:13 p.m. when the vehicle went through a guardrail at the intersection with Riviera Drive.
The Seventh Precinct officers — Thomas Ciota, Sean Roche, Steven Rathjen, Michael Magioncalda and Ryan Kelly — pulled the woman from her vehicle, police said.
She was treated for minor injuries at Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue, police said. The officers did not require medical attention.
Police did not disclose in a news release what contributed to the crash.
In an earlier incident, a 19-year-old woman was rescued after her vehicle plunged into Great South Bay at the end of South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue.
Fifth Precinct officers responded about 12:50 p.m. to a 911 call of a vehicle in the water.
Emergency service officers and good Samaritans helped pull the woman, who was not identified, to safety, police said.
She was transported to a hospital for evaluation, police said.
Peter Faiella of Patchogue was riding a personal watercraft at the time of the crash and said he heard people from the dock screaming for help. He said three people were already in the water to assist as he pulled up to the scene. They used a fire extinguisher from his personal watercraft to break a window and a police officer pulled the woman out the car window, he said.
“The three guys that were in the water really, really did a great job,” he said in an interview at the scene.
With James Carbone
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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