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General News: Fatal Boating Accident on the Hudson
July 29, 2008
A boating excursion on the Hudson River turned deadly shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday night when a boat overturned in the waters off Highland Falls, trapping the boaters underneath. One man was killed and the four other people in the boat were injured.
Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith identified the dead man as Steven A. Vasta, age 25, of Mahopac, New York. Mr. Vasta was one of five people, all residents of Mahopac, who were riding together in the boat, which is described as a 26-feet-long, 1986 Four Winns Liberator. The other occupants have been identified as Marco P. Almeida, age 26, Sean M. Morris, 27, John T. Downey III, age 25, and his fiancée, Vanessa Santos, age 23.
Investigators say that the group embarked from a marina in Westchester County Monday evening and headed to Newburgh, where they got off the boat for a meal at a restaurant on the pier. After eating, they climbed back aboard and headed southward with Mr. Almeida initially at the wheel.
Mr. Downey then reportedly took over and was operating the craft when it apparently ran aground in shallow, marshy waters off the shore of Highland Falls, according to the sheriff’s office. Mr. Downey told authorities that he tried to turn the boat as he realized it was running aground, but the craft overturned, trapping all five occupants beneath it.
From under the capsized boat, Mr. Vasta placed two calls to 911 for help on a cellular telephone, telling the operator that he and his companions were trapped under the boat. Although the connection was lost both times, the Putnam County 911 Center was able to determine an approximate location of the boat and issued a callout of numerous police and rescue agencies, dispatching patrol boats, helicopters and land vehicles from Putnam, Orange, Rockland and Westchester Counties to join in a search for the victims.
Approximately one hour later, Sergeant Michael Szabo and Deputies Thomas Lee and Edward Kennedy, patrolling aboard a Putnam County Sheriff’s Department boat, spotted the stranded boat. Sergeant Szabo steered in as close as he could and Deputies Lee and Kennedy jumped into the chest-high water to help the victims. Numerous other emergency personnel, including COVAC, then converged on the scene and used inflatable air bags to lift the craft sufficiently to free the victims.
Rescuers found Mr. Vasta unresponsive at the scene. He was removed to the Garrison Yacht Club on the Putnam County shore, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy will be performed later today to determine the exact cause of his death.
The other occupants were taken to Westchester Medical Center and St. Luke's Cornwall hospital for medical evaluation. None of them suffered injuries that were believed to be life-threatening.
Investigators say that the darkness of night and the shallowness of the river in the area apparently caused the accident. Based upon preliminary findings, they say, alcohol intoxication does not appear to be a factor in the mishap. The case remains under investigation at this time.
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