Suffolk police say the body of a boater who vanished into the water after a boat crash off Long Island has been found.
Authorities believe the operator of the 25-foot skater boat was drunk when the vessel slammed into the back of a larger 38-foot Hatterus -- the Hatterus is a recreational fishing vehicle named the Silver Bullet.
"Three people went into the water, two people were recovered," said Chris Hatton Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau.
The crash happened just under the Robert Moses main span bridge on Long Island's Southern coast. The distress call was received just after 4:50 a.m. Saturday morning.
When emergency crews arrived, the skater boat was sinking and they quickly pulled its operator, 26-year-old Brian Andreski and another passenger out of the water.
Christopher Manino, who was sitting in the back of the Silver Bullet, had also fallen into the water. His lifeless body was later recovered after a nearly 12-hour search.
"The driver of the speedboat was boating while intoxicated, that driver has been arrested," said Det. Matt Sullivan of the Suffolk P.D.
Family and friends of the missing boater looked on helplessly as dive teams scoured the waters of Great South Bay off Captree Island.
There were five men on the Silver Bullet when the Skater crashed into it. Friends told Fox 5 News they were on their way to a fishing tournament early Saturday morning when the accident happened.
"It's terrible," said Raymond Winberry.
Winberry is friends with the owner of the Silver Bullet. He joined with other neighbors and good samaritans who helped search for the missing boater.
Christopher Mannino was 39-years-old from West Islip. Andreski, the operator of the Skater boat, was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. It's unclear if he will face additional charges now that Mannino's body has been recovered.
By: MyFoxNY.com
No comments:
Post a Comment