Hunter rescued after his kayak flips in waters off Mastic Beach

Suffolk police officers rescued a man from the freezing waters of Narrow Bay in Mastic Beach on Sunday, after his kayak capsized while hunting.

On Sunday morning, Nicholas Shakalis, 34, was on his kayak hunting in the bay before it capsized, and he fell into the water. At about 8:45 a.m., a person saw Shakalis, who was not wearing a personal flotation device, and called 911, police said.

Suffolk police sent out a police helicopter, with Command Pilot Sgt. John Vahey, Tactical Flight Police Officer Victor Federico, Rescue Swimmer Police Officer Jonathan Jensen of the Emergency Service Section, and Stony Brook University Hospital Flight Paramedic Erin Carey aboard, and were able to locate Shakalis, who was clinging to his kayak.

According to a police news release, Jensen, jumped into the water and guided the hunter to the nearby Pattersquash Island. Federico, along with members of the Center Moriches Fire Department, helped bring Shakalis to shore, where Carey began administering medical aid.

Shakalis was transported by helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of hypothermia.

A video of the rescue, posted on the Suffolk Police Department's YouTube page, shows Jensen jumping into the water and swimming to the hunter before he guides him towards land.