Jul 6, 2009 2:28 am US/Eastern
Body Recovered In Tragic Queens Fishing Accident
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A day of fishing ended in tragedy in Queens. Two friends went out for a fun day in Jamaica Bay, but only one survived.
One of the young men was saved by strangers who pulled him from the waters of Jamaica Bay. He is hospitalized in stable condition, but his fishing buddy did not make it out of the water alive.
The body of 19-year-old Mario Acatitla was pulled from Jamaica Bay's North Channel.
Police escorted family members from the waters edge just as the body was brought up the hill to an ambulance.
Witnesses said Acatitla and his friend waded into the bay with their fishing gear, and the water was up to their chests. They were stuck where the currents are unpredictable, and the drop-off is sudden and steep.
"They stepped over the ledge, the two fell into deep water too difficult and complex for them to get out," FDNY Deputy Chief Bob Maynes says.
Their splashing and yelling alerted one man and his son. They risked their lives diving in to save Acatitla's friend.
"I got the one body and looked for the other, but could not find him," Good Samaritan Cesar Meneses says.
The rescued fisherman was brought to shore, barely conscious, and taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he is in stable condition.
Three hours of intense searching by divers, and helicopter and rescue boat crews, resulted in a sad scene: a body finally found, and a lesson to be learned.
"If you're a fisherman and you do not know the water, and are not an advanced swimmer, you should be extremely careful in the area," Maynes says.
Chief Maynes urged everyone to stay safe this summer by remembering that calm-looking waters can be hiding many dangers.
Jamaica Bay is a lagoon that lies in the shadow of New York City's skyscrapers and is adjacent to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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