Officers Honored For Great South Bay Rescue

GREAT RIVER, NY - Four Suffolk officers were honored on Wednesday for saving the lives of two men and two women who became stranded after their boat sank in the Great South Bay over the weekend.

Commissioner Geraldine Hart held a press conference at the Marine Bureau in Great River to commend four officers. The officers were also present during the event, describing the rescue.

On Saturday, boater in distress used a cell phone to call Sea Tow's Great South Bay Headquarters indicating their boat, with four adults onboard, was taking on water.

An employee at Sea Tow used a marine VHF radio to notify the Suffolk Police Marine Bureau there was a boat sinking a quarter mile south of Timber Point Marina in Great River.

Marine Bureau Officers Robert Reed and James Curley, on board Marine Kilo, and Officers Robert Reuter and Christian Schnoor, on board Marine Juliet, responded immediately.

Great River, NY- Suffolk Police officers commended for rescuing people from a sinking boat in the Great South Bay. pic.twitter.com/Fqy3e9Dhdw

— Stringer News (@Stringernews) May" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/Stringerne... 30, 2018

They arrived within minutes to find the vessel, a 1987, 19 foot, Four Winns, completely under water and the four people in need of rescue.

"We looked over to the west and saw what looked like a couple of kayakers in the water because all you saw was their chest and head sticking out of the water," Reed said during the press conference.

Some of the people were wearing life preservers and others clung to floating cushions and a cooler.

"Believe or not they were somewhat calm," Reed said. "They all did the right thing they stayed by the boat with life vests on."

The officers assisted all four and helped them aboard Marine Kilo.

The individuals, 56-year-old Juliann Gibson, of Islip Terrace, 53-year-old Jacqueline Calderon, of Islip Terrace, 57-year-old Charles Doxsee, of Mastic Beach and 53-year-old Kenneth Marmo, of Islip, were all transported to Timber Point Marina and refused medical attention.

The officers returned to the sunken boat and towed it ashore preventing it from becoming a navigational hazard.

"Our four officers here today provided a sense of security and relief during a challenging situation," Hart said.

Watch the video from the conference below:

Photo: Screenshot/Suffolk County Police video