2 Men Rescued After Kayak Overturns In Stony Brook Harbor

STONY BROOK, NY — A pair of Port Jefferson men were rescued on Sunday morning after their kayak capsized in Stony Brook Harbor.

Members of the Smithtown Department of Public Safety Waterways and Navigation Division and Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers responded to a call for a vessel in distress at 11:07 a.m. roughly a half-mile off Harbor Road. Marine 4 Bay Constables Steven Bennett and Michael Grayson found Stefan Constatinou in the water holding onto the kayak and Robert Czerni on board. Czerni, 38, fainting caused the kayak to overturn, and he was showing dangerous signs of a heat stroke — nausea, dizziness and confusion — according to Town of Smithtown officials.

Constatinou, 27, told the constables of Czerni's fainting. Marine 4 asked Rescue to respond to the Stony Brook Ramp. The bay constables brought the pair on board Marine 4 and took them to the Stony Brook Yacht Club. They were evaluated and treated by Stony Brook Fire Department EMS. Marine 3, manned by Bay Constables Daniel Shannon and Blake Griffin, towed the kayak and paddles back to the dock. The rescue was coordinated by Smithtown Department of Public Safety Sergeant Scott Roberts.

No one was injured, Suffolk police said.

"With the weather in the high 80s to low 90s over the holiday, we had residents flocking to beaches and marinas to enjoy the Independence Day Weekend," Councilman Tom Lohmann, liaison to Public Safety, said in a news release. "The Department of Public Safety Waterways and Navigation Division had their hands full. They handled their duties with exemplary professionalism. Not only did they demonstrate their aptitude in navigating our waterways… but after immediately recognizing the dangerous state of health of Mr. Czerni, they sprung into action to get him to safety for treatment. The work they do every day for the community often goes unnoticed… but this is a reminder of how important the Department of Public Safety is to the people of Smithtown."