Police: Two rescued after capsizing in Long Island Sound
Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers, with assistance from a good samaritan, rescued two Smithtown teens after their boat overturned in the Long Island Sound on Saturday, June 20, 2015. Credit: SCPD
Suffolk County police rescued two men whose boat capsized Saturday in Long Island Sound, north of Nissequogue and Sunken Meadow State Park.
Marine Bureau and Coast Guard officers rescued Douglas Botto and Eric Damn, both 19 of Smithtown, about 11:30 a.m. when their boat flipped over, two to three miles north of the river, police said.
Officers were aided by a good Samaritan as waves reached three to five feet high, preventing the men from righting the 16-foot Hobie Cat Catamaran.
A witness spotted the men floating in the water and clinging to the overturned hull of the boat about 90 minutes after it tipped over. The witness radioed to marine police via a VHF radio to relay the location.
Marine Bureau Officers David Goldstein and Michael Cappiello and Officers Keith Walters and Paul Carnival responded in separate vessels and brought the teens back to Smithtown and towed the boat back. The survivors did not need medical treatment, police said.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
Memorial Day 2026: NewsdayTV honors those we've lost A brave young patriot receives a burial 83 years after being lost in war. Volunteers restore a Revolutionary War cemetery. A Gold Star mom makes it her mission to honor her son's sacrifice. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie shares three stories in honor of Memorial Day.
Memorial Day 2026: NewsdayTV honors those we've lost A brave young patriot receives a burial 83 years after being lost in war. Volunteers restore a Revolutionary War cemetery. A Gold Star mom makes it her mission to honor her son's sacrifice. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie shares three stories in honor of Memorial Day.
