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Father and son police duo fish man out of water

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A father and son police team rescued a drowning man in Oceanside.

On Jan. 25 at about 4:45 p.m., a 50-year-old man from Franklin Square was refueling his duck boat at the Bay Park fishing station dock at the end of Weidner Avenue when he slipped and fell into the water, which was approximately 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

The man was able to grab his cell phone and called his son, who contacted 911. However, the son told the 911 dispatcher the man was in the water at Bay Park, when in fact he was in the water at the Bay Park Fishing Station.

Nassau County Police responded to the call, as well as the Oceanside and East Rockaway fire departments. When they came to Bay Park and were unable to find the man, the 911 dispatcher was able to use the drowning man’s cell phone number to narrow his location down to a one-mile radius.

Officer James Sarnataro Sr., of Lynbrook, spotted the man from a police helicopter. His son, Officer James Sarnataro Jr., pulled the man out of the water.

“This was the first time the two of us were assigned to the same call,” said James Sr. “And I was hoping before I retired that would happen… The icing on the cake was when you hear him on the radio saying that he got the guy and pulled him out of the water… I’m very proud of him.”

The man had been in the water for at least 30 minutes. According to James Jr., he was shivering, disoriented and had lost the feeling in his limbs.

The victim was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital. He has since been released and is now recovering at home.

County Executive Ed Mangano honored the men, as well as the 911 dispatcher and the helicopter pilot for the rescue at the Nassau County Executive Building in Mineola.