NYPD officer Patrick Luca's body recovered in Smithtown Bay

The body of a New York City police officer who went missing in Smithtown Bay during a kayaking outing with his son was recovered Saturday, officials said.

A recreational boater found Patrick Luca's body about 11:30 a.m., 11/4 miles from where the empty inflatable kayak was discovered Friday afternoon, officials said.

The Smithtown resident's 5-year-old son, Caden, who was wearing a life jacket, was rescued Friday afternoon.

Suffolk police said the cause of the tragedy near the mouth of the Nissequogue River in Kings Park remains a mystery. They don't believe the kayak capsized because items found inside the craft would have sunk, said Suffolk Police Marine Bureau Deputy Insp. Harold Jantzen.

Weather wasn't a factor and Luca was a good swimmer and experienced kayaker who had launched into the river before, Jantzen said.

Luca did not appear to have suffered a "medical event," Jantzen said.

"We don't really know what happened," he said. ". . . We are still investigating what may have caused him and his son to be in the water."

New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, calling it a "heart-wrenching case," said Suffolk police searchers were aided by a four-member NYPD dive team. A Coast Guard cutter and a helicopter were used Saturday, along with police boats and local dive teams.

Police said the body was discovered a half-mile from the mouth of the Nissequogue, three-quarters of a mile from shore. A group of NYPD divers pulled the body out of the water, Jantzen said.

Luca's body was transferred by the Suffolk County Marine Bureau to the Eatons Neck Coast Guard Station, said Petty Officer Erik Swanson, a Coast Guard spokesman. It was then sent to the Suffolk County coroner.

Luca was not wearing a life jacket when he was found, Jantzen said.

Luca, 41, was married with two children. A 21-year NYPD veteran, he was a senior recruiter for the department based in Manhattan.

"The NYPD and the entire city suffered a tragic loss today with the death of one of our finest," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. "My heart and prayers go out to Officer Luca's wife and children, loved ones and friends."

The waters near where the kayak was found Friday can be treacherous, experts and officials said.

Chris Bohland, a manager at Glacier Bay Sports in Northport, said kayakers often underestimate the strong tides of the North Shore, and the mouth of the Nissequogue River is especially dangerous. "It's notorious that it's definitely a bit of a tough spot," Bohland said.

Inflatable kayaks aren't as safe as their hard plastic counterparts, Bohland said, noting that they're best used in bodies of water without tides, such as lakes, rivers and ponds.

Steve Fadowski, 55, assistant manager at Eastern Mountain Sports in Carle Place, said even adult kayakers who are good swimmers should wear life jackets.

"What if you were hit by another vehicle?" he said. "What if it was a really windy day and you fall out of your watercraft, and the wind takes it away from you?"

At the boat launch at the Nissequoque River Boat Basin in Kings Park, kayakers said the tide can be swift.

"It can rip," said Diane Tabone, 52, of Kings Park. "You see kayakers and canoers flipping over all the time" in the channel.

According to Coast Guard statistics, there were 52 reported deaths of kayakers nationwide last year.

With Ali Eaves

and Robert Brodsky