Five people were pulled to safety Monday night after their 17-foot boat began taking on water in the Long Island Sound. Suffolk County police brought everyone aboard the stricken vessel to safety as the boat started sinking.
CBS News New York reported that the rescue involved five people aboard the small boat, which began flooding during the evening. The initial report did not provide the passengers’ names or say what caused the vessel to take on water.
Suffolk Marine Units Patrol A Vast Stretch Of Water
The rescue took place in an area covered by Suffolk County’s Marine Bureau, whose officers patrol about 500 square miles of navigable waterways, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. The bureau says its boats are equipped for search-and-rescue missions, including towing disabled vessels and dewatering sinking boats.
It was another busy kind of call for local marine responders. In August 2025, Suffolk police and the Smithtown harbormaster rescued three kayakers after one kayak began taking on water, then helped two swimmers and a jet skier caught in a riptide, the department said in a department release.
Police Urge Boaters To Call 911 In Emergencies
Suffolk’s Marine Bureau advises boaters facing an immediate threat to life, property or the environment to call 911. The department also says boaters can use Marine VHF Channel 16 and should display visual distress signals when their vessel is in trouble.
