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Emergency crews in Patchogue were called at around 5 a.m. Thursday, June 15, with reports that a car had driven off Mascot Dock and into Patchogue Bay near South Ocean Avenue.
Surveillance footage released by police shows a Nissan sedan driving on the roadway before making a sharp turn to the left and going up onto a walkway before plunging into the water.
A Suffolk County Police officer and a member of the Patchogue Fire Department sprang into action and were able to free the driver, identified as Nestor Riosarvealo, of Patchogue, according to Suffolk County Police.
All three men were taken to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue and treated for minor injuries. They were later released.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, June 16, Suffolk County Police officer Edward Pitre said he saw the vehicle submerged as soon as he arrived on scene.
“I knew I had precious seconds, that I didn’t really have too much time to think, that I just had to get into the water,” he said.
Pitre dove into the water and tried breaking the car’s window, but couldn’t get it to break.
Seeing that Pitre was struggling, Patchogue Fire Department member Peter Feehan grabbed a special tool from his fire truck and swam out to the vehicle, breaking a rear window.
“With that, officer Pitre reached in and was able to grab the driver and pull him out,” Feehan told reporters. “Between the two of us we got him out, got him to shore.”
Speaking at the same press conference, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison praised the men for their quick work in getting Riosarvealo to safety.
“These officers, firefighters, jumped into the water, went into action, saved somebody’s life, and I really want to commend them for the great work that they do,” he said. “They saved somebody’s life.”
Authorities are still investigating how the car ended up in the water.
Video of the incident can be seen here.
The incident came almost a year to the day after a Patchogue woman drove her Subaru Outback into the water near the exact same spot, as reported by Daily Voice.
She was ultimately rescued by a quick-thinking 17-year-old boy who dove in after her.
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