5 Fishers Plunge into Jamaica Bay When Boat Capsizes, 2 in Critical Condition: NYPD

Five people fishing in Jamaica Bay Friday night were plunged into the choppy waters when their boat capsized in the middle of a coastal storm, and two of them are now in critical condition at a hospital, police say. 

Police said the boat turned over near Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn at about 8:15 p.m., and two of the people managed to make it to shore on their own. 

A law enforcement source said one of them walked through the woods and emerged near an NYPD operations center where rescue crews are based. He flagged down an officer, and FDNY and NYPD rescuers responded within minutes, the source said. 

Police and firefighters rescued the three remaining people from the choppy waters. Two of them are in critical condition, and the rest of the people who were on the boat were suffering from exhaustion, police said. 

coastal storm has been battering the region since late Thursday, and is expected to continue bringing rain, high winds and high waves into Saturday.

It's not clear why the people were fishing in the middle of the storm. Waves in the bay were as high as 10 to 15 feet Friday night, according to Storm Team 4. 

Contact Us