Man on water scooter rescued from wetlands of Merrick Bay, officials say

A man drove his water scooter Wednesday night into the wetlands of Merrick Bay, got stuck too far from shore to walk out, and had to be rescued by a Nassau police helicopter, officials said.

"He was jet skiing and didn't account for the marsh," a police spokesman said. "Boats couldn't get to him, so aviation had to find a spot to land."

The Nassau police department's Marine Bureau and officers from the Seventh Precinct, the U.S. Coast Guard and "multiple" fire departments all searched for the missing man after he called 911, along with at least one other individual who reported an abandoned water scooter floating in the water, officials said on Thursday.

The man on the water scooter, whose name does not appear in police reports and who declined medical treatment, was found on Big Crow Island, which lies east of Meadowbrook State Parkway, at about 8:46 p.m. and taken to Wantagh Park. 

"He wasn’t required to identify himself: I guess maybe he was embarrassed," the spokesman said.