Police and firefighters rescued a man who had spent more than an hour in the water after his kayak overturned off Reeves Beach late Sunday afternoon.
The 34-year-old man, who was wearing a life jacket, was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center by Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps for treatment of hypothermia, Riverhead Police said in a press release.
Riverhead Police responded to a 911 call at 5:43 p.m. from a man reporting he was unable to locate his friend whose kayak overturned in a area west of Reeves Beach.
A Suffolk County Police helicopter assisted and police and Riverhead Fire Department rescue boats locate the man in the water about a mile off Reeves Beach, according to the report.
The man was safely brought to shore after being in the water for about an hour and a half, police said. RVAC treated him and took him to PBMC for hypothermia, police said.
Riverhead Police released photos and video, provided courtesy of the Suffolk County Police Department.
The incident was the second water rescue for Riverhead Police and Riverhead Fire Department Sunday. In the morning, they rescued five men in a raft from the Long Island Sound off Reeves beach who called 911 to report they were in need of assistance due to strong winds and currents pulling them away from shore. Police deployed a drone to help rescue police and fire department rescue boats locate the raft about two miles offshore and transport the men safely back to the beach. See separate story.
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