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Alexander “AJ” Keating, 24, who has been living in South Amboy, was on a ninth-floor balcony at around 12:45 a.m. when he fell over a railing at the Hyatt Regency Long Island, Suffolk County police said.
Keating survived the fall and was taken by ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition, said police.
“Unfortunately, AJ has had a horrific accident and is in critical condition fighting for his life," said family friend Kari Myles Macleod. "He has significant injuries and has a very long road to recovery ahead."
A GoFundMe page launched to help Keating’s family with his mounting medical expenses had raised more than $24,000 as of Wednesday, May 25.
A native of North Andover, Massachusetts, Keating enlisted in the Coast Guard after graduating from North Andover High School, where he played lacrosse.
He was initially stationed in St. Joseph’s, Michigan and was later transferred to Staten Island Station, where he has been for the past three years, Macleod said.
Shortly before the accident, Keating had re-enlisted with the Coast Guard and was set to travel to San Diego in the coming days to work with a unit that specializes in international drug interdiction.
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