Yonkers Man, 51, Arrested on BWI Charge on the Hudson

A Yonkers man was arrested on a charge of Boating While Intoxicated Wednesday night after county police said he was speeding in his vessel on the Hudson River through the Tappan Zee Bridge construction zone.

Jose Diaz, 51, of Alta Avenue, was operating a 27-foot motorized boat north on the Hudson River when officers from the county police Marine Unit stopped it at 10:16 p.m. The vessel was exceeding the 5-knot speed restriction that the U.S. Coast Guard has put in place in the vicinity of the bridge.

“Construction work was under way at the time,“ wrote department spokesperson Kieran O’Leary in a statement. “Diaz’ vessel passed within 100 feet of an anchored barge containing a work crew.”

This is the second arrest in a week of a boater accused of speeding through the bridge construction zone. On Sunday, Aug. 30, Marcus Lomghitano of Highland Mills, NY was said to lead county police on a high-speed chase near the construction zone, reaching 100 mph at times.

Officers who boarded Diaz’ boat determined that he was intoxicated and he was taken into custody, according to O’Leary.

Diaz was booked at county police headquarters in Hawthorne and released pending a Sept. 25 appearance in Greenburgh Town Court.

Photo: Jose Diaz. Photo credit: Westchester County Police Department