Video Shows Moment Kayaker Rescued After Treading Water For Over Hour Near Riverhead

A camera was rolling the moment a stranded kayaker finally reached safety after spending over an hour treading water off Long Island.

Members of the Riverhead Police Marine Unit rescue a stranded kayaker off Reeves Beach in Baiting Hollow on Sunday, June 23. — Members of the Riverhead Police Marine Unit rescue a stranded kayaker off Reeves Beach in Baiting Hollow on Sunday, June 23.
Photo Credit: *Suffolk County Police Department*

Michael Mashburn

06/24/2024 2:45 p.m.

The successful rescue operation happened at around 5:45 p.m. Sunday, June 23, near Reeves Beach, located in the Riverhead hamlet of Baiting Hollow.

A man called 911 saying he was unable to locate his friend who had been on a kayak west of the beach.

Officers with the Riverhead Police Marine and the Suffolk County Police Aviation units later spotted an overturned kayak with a man in a lifejacket in the water, nearly one mile north of Reeves Beach.

Helicopter video posted to YouTube by Riverhead Police shows crews initially tried extending an oar to the 34-year-old man, but the strong current quickly pulled him away. Two officers eventually managed to pull him into the vessel by his arms and legs.

According to police, by that point the man had spent nearly 90 minutes in the water. He was taken by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead and treated for hypothermia.

Watch video the water rescue below.

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