NEW YORK — N.Y. Port Authority rescuers needed rescuing themselves Sunday when a boat sank in the middle of an exercise off Breezy Point.
Seven of the 10 police officers onboard were already in the water training for water-rescue certification when the boat started sinking, according to the New York Post.
“I saw some of the guys trying to bail water out of the back of the boat, which looked unusual,” said Mark Egan, 53, who was sitting on the beach at the time. “It happened so quickly — the boat just went up on a 90-degree angle.”
A few officers swam to shore, others boarded life rafts, and the FDNY Marine Unit rescued the rest.
Two or three of the cops aboard were hospitalized, the Post said.
“By the time the first ambulance arrived, the boat was down already,” another witness, Anne Brennan, said.
“It just goes to show you how treacherous it is,” said a Port Authority source, “but you have to go out there in those conditions to train.”