CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Man Stranded & Treading Water in Long Island Sound for 90 Minutes Recued by Authorities
A dramatic rescue was caught on video when a kayaker was stranded and forced to tread water in the Long Island Sound in Riverhead for almost 90 minutes before authorities were able to intercept him and bring him to safety.
The scene unfolded on Sunday, June 23 at approximately 5:45 p.m. near Reeves Beach in the hamlet of Baiting Hollow after 911 received a call from an individual saying that he had lost contact with a friend who had been kicking at the beach.
Responding Riverhead Police Marine and the Suffolk County Police Aviation units soon located the man almost one mile north of Reeves Beach; his kayak had overturned, spilling him into the Sound, and the man - who had been wearing a life vest - had been forced to tread water for almost an hour-and-a-half.
As depicted in a video clip posted to YouTube by Riverhead Police, responding units eventually reach the man and extracted him from the water and into their vessel. From there, an ambulance took him to platonic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, where he received treatment for hypothermia.