Coram man rescued from inflatable raft in Narrow Bay, Suffolk police say

A Coram man was rescued unharmed early Sunday after he spent eight hours on an inflatable raft floating in Narrow Bay, police said.

Marine Bureau officers received a 911 call just after 3 a.m. reporting a man calling for help in the marsh on the north side of Narrow Bay, Suffolk police said. The area is between Mastic Beach and Smith Point County Park.

At 3:50 a.m., a police helicopter located Brian Bishop, 35, aboard the 10-foot raft as he struggled to reach the shore.

Officers John Mullins and Dale Kelly pulled Bishop aboard their vessel and began searching for another man who had also been on the raft.

Police said the men had launched the raft eight hours earlier from Smith Point County Park in Shirley, about two miles from where officers discovered Bishop. The other man, who had jumped off the boat and swam to shore, was found unharmed after a brief search.

Seventh Precinct officers and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the search.

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.