Cops: Man who crashed SUV into Babylon canal had medical episode

A Deer Park man suffered a medical emergency and crashed his sport utility vehicle into a Babylon canal Friday morning, Suffolk County police said.

Police said Charles Jacob, 73, of Deer Park, was traveling northbound in a 2007 Nissan Rogue on Shore Road at 9:42 a.m. when he suffered a medical event and crashed first into a post and submerged in his vehicle after striking three boats in the canal.

Residents and people who were working in the area helped Jacob out of the water, police said. The Babylon Fire Department responded to the scene and transported Jacob in stable condition to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, police said.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”