NEW YORK — A Long Island man is recovering from hypothermia after floating on water for about five hours in the Atlantic Ocean Monday.
Suffolk County Police said a 63-year-old Copiague man went swimming at Cedar Beach in Babylon around 5 a.m. When he emerged into open water, police said, he was swept away by the current.
For the next five hours, the swimmer struggled to stay out of the water without a flotation device to help him. The department said he managed to retrieve a broken fishing pole and tie his shirt in an effort to signal any passing vessels.
The swimmer was finally seen about 2.5 miles offshore from where he entered the water, police said. Two men aboard a boat spotted the 63-year-old man, hauled him on board and radioed for help.
The police department’s Marine Juliet boat responded to the Good Samaritans and recovered the swimmer, who they said was unable to stand and needed help for hypothermia. Officers brought the man ashore, where he was treated by a US Coast Guard medic and then taken to a hospital in West Islip.
2023-08-01 05:32:49
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