Prayers to the families
Three people are dead after a boat carrying 27 people capsized in Long Island Sound late last night, officials confirmed.
The 34-foot Silverton left the Seawanhaka Yacht Club in Oyster Bay and flipped over at about 10:10 p.m., dumping its passengers into the water.
A nearby boater, Sam Galasso, said: “A friend of mine was in my boat and shined a spotlight on them because their boat was getting close to us. Then we saw them take a sharp left and it flipped.
“My friend screamed, ‘You’ve got to help these people.’ And I turned my boat and went toward them.
“Everyone in my boat did everything to get people out of the water,’’ he added.
His nephew, Frankie Barbone, 15, recalled: “The weather was fine, and then all of a sudden it changed within minutes.
“It was hailing at one point, it started raining. There were a lot of waves.
“Then we both looked over and saw them hit the water.’’
“It was complete mayhem,’’ Galasso added. “People started screaming.’’
Parents frantically swam around searching for their kids, some of whom were having trouble staying above the waves, Galasso said.
None of the passengers was wearing a life jacket, said Barbone.
“We pulled 16 or 17 people out,’’ he said.
“As it was sinking, the captain was standing on top, waving his hands.
“We threw out everything [life jackets and life preservers] we had to them.”
Twenty-three people were rescued by midnight, Coast Guard spokeswoman Sondra Rivera said.
The NYPD dive team recovered two others from the waters after 2 a.m., but rescue efforts were eventually suspended.
Barbone said the boat overturned soon after the conclusion of Wednesday's fireworks display.
Nassau Police Inspector Kenneth Lack said the accident was likely caused by the quick shift in weather and the wake caused by several boats leaving the area at the same time.
Two victims were taken via helicopter to nearby hospitals.
“I saw them working on a little boy — they were doing CPR on him in the ambulance,” said witness Michelle Zangari, 18.
“They said they found him underneath the boat.”
The boat is currently submerged under 60 to 70 feet of water, officials said. They hope to raise the vessel out of the water today.
