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Search and rescue crews in New Jersey and on Staten Island searched the water after a passerby rescued two of the victim's companions when all three of their kayaks overturned near the Great Beds Lighthouse in South Amboy.
None were wearing life jackets, Coast Guard Capt. Jason Tama said.
The NYPD Harbor Unit transported the pair back to Staten Island, where a rescue operation was staged at Wolfe's Pond Park.
The search party included department divers, both NYPD and FDNY boats, members of the U.S. Coast Guard Sandy Hook station in the water and from the Atlantic City Air Station in an MH-65 chopper above.
A Coast Guard cutter continued the search through the evening, and another helicopter took a final pass at dawn, Tama said in a statement.
“Suspending a search is never an easy decision to make,” the captain said. "We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends who have been impacted by this tragic incident.”
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