Man drives his car into the Sound

Atlantic Steamer divers try to rescue man

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An 85-year-old man died on Nov. 18 after driving his 2011 Volkswagen Jetta into the Long Island Sound in Oyster Bay. The car flipped over as it landed in the sound at 3 p.m. after jumping a curb and knocking down a portion of the black aluminum fence at the Theodore Roosevelt Marina.

Nassau County police are investigating the cause of the incident and have not identified the man.

A popular kayak launch and fishing spot, the narrow section of the parking lot where the incident occurred is near an outdoor kayak storage area, fish hatchery and bay constable buildings.

“Two bay constables and an employee from environmental resources saw it happen,” said Justin McCaffrey, the town’s commissioner for public safety, adding that police were called immediately.

“It’s an awkward spot, not easily accessible,” McCaffrey said, “and this time of year, not a heavily trafficked area.”

McCaffrey said it was the first time that anything like this has happened in Theodore Roosevelt Park.

The man had been in cardiac arrest while divers worked to get him out of the car. “Did the heart attack happen first or after, when he was drowning? That’s the question,” McCaffrey said.

A police helicopter circled overhead while two divers from Atlantic Steamer Fire Department, a few firefighters from Oyster Bay Fire Company 1, police and bay constables worked to rescue the man.    

When divers arrived a bay constable and a good Samaratan were in the water, trying to get the man out of the car.

“Our divers were in the water within a couple of minutes,” Atlantic Steamer Chief Rob Knickman said, “and nothing was wrong with that fence.”

The divers, he added, did everything they could.

Frank Barbera, of East Norwich, an Atlantic Steamer firefighter, was among the divers. “This is what I was trained for,” he said. “It’s always challenging because none of these are ever the same.”

A diver for the Fire Department for eight years, Barbera said it requires a great deal of training.

“There are six qualifications needed in order to be on the dive team,” he said, “and the training takes a year and a half.”

Time is of the essence when it comes to a water rescue, Barbera said. After removing the man from the car, he handed him to police and then dove back into the water. He had to be sure that no one else was under the water.

An OBFD ambulance rushed the man to Syosset Hospital, where he died at 4:45 p.m.

McCaffrey said the car did not cause any environmental damage to the sound. Bay constables evaluated it, he said, and found no fluids leakage. The car was later removed by police tow trucks.

“They did everything they possibly could,” Knickman said, referring to the divers. “Frank knows what he is doing. He is very precise with everything. They both put their training to use.”