Man killed in Freeport Creek boat crash identified by police

A Freeport man was identified by authorities as the sole fatality in a collision of two boats at Freeport Creek on Saturday night.

Jorge Soto, 25, was killed in the collision, Nassau County police said in a statement Tuesday.

The crash, which happened about 6:45 p.m. near Cow Meadow Park, injured six other people, police said.

Four of the injuries were minor, while two passengers sustained serious trauma, police said. One of those seriously hurt included a woman with a leg injury, according to a department spokeswoman.

Ray Maguire, executive director of the Freeport Fire Department, had previously told Newsday the scene was chaotic when first responders arrived on scene.

The boat with the most damage was about 1,500 feet from shore, still circling in the water after colliding with the other vessel, Maguire said. The other boat returned to shore under its own power, he said.

Civilians on personal watercraft pulled people out of the water and brought them ashore.

Maguire praised those who arrived to help with the rescue effort.

“I have to commend the civilians on the jet skis who played an important role in saving lives and moving victims to shore," he said.