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Impressive Water Rescues in a Very Different Summer

Wed, 12/30/2020 - 08:13
John Ryan Jr.
Durell Godfrey

"It was a very different summer," said John Ryan Jr.

Covid ensured that there were indeed unprecedented logistical differences, but nothing about the commitment of East Hampton Town's lifeguards had changed.

Mr. Ryan was impressed with Julia Erikson, Hannah Medler, and Manny Vilar, three rookie guards who saved three people from drowning, at — of all places — a bay beach, the one at Maidstone Park. "One out of a hundred, not gonna happen at the bay," he said.

It did, though. Luckily, the three first-year lifeguards arrived at 10 a.m., spotted the trio in trouble, and made the save at 10:15. They even remembered to radio in for backup, Mr. Ryan said, just in case. "What first-year guard remembers to do that?"

The one who made the call apologized afterward, for calling him when it turned out they didn't need the Jet Ski. "It's the best thing you could have done," Mr. Ryan replied.

Another impressive rescue involved two teenagers in kayaks, neither wearing a life jacket, who got sucked out to sea late in July, a quarter-mile offshore from Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett. "They were a speck — you couldn't see them on the binoculars. They were heading to Florida," Mr. Ryan said.

Lifeguards and other ocean rescuers also grappled with two tragic losses: a drowning in Fort Pond in Montauk in July after a man went missing from a small rowboat, and another at an unguarded beach on Napeague in August.

Guards keeping the summer crowds within mandated Covid-19 numbers at the Indian Wells Beach parking lot also gave it their all. Two of them passed out from heat exhaustion; one had to be taken to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for treatment.

And then there was the Sag Harbor Cove Yacht Club save, in which six employees of the club risked their lives for a family from Brooklyn who were about to go under.

"As a lifeguard, you have to make a decision," said Mr. Ryan. "If you don't feel like a kid is safe in the break, you have to put your hands on them."

On the Police Logs 03.20.25

Police at first thought that the water reported to be flowing onto Church Street last Thursday afternoon came from a water main break, but found upon arriving at the scene that it was being pumped from a nearby swimming pool, a violation of the village code.

Mar 20, 2025

Coordinated Response Brought Fires Under Control

As winds out of the northwest gusted at near 40 miles per hour early Saturday, it didn’t take long for the embers from a fire that began around 9:30 a.m. in a Manorville backyard, “following an attempt to make s’mores,” to ignite multiple brush fires that would grow to burn 600 acres in the Westhampton pine barrens. Suffolk County police arson detectives reached the conclusion after first reviewing 911 call from the hours leading up to the incident.

Mar 13, 2025

Ups and Downs in Annual Police Report

East Hampton Town police made fewer overall arrests last year, but more arrests for driving while intoxicated — another year that has led Chief Michael Sarlo to say that “we live in an extremely safe community.” 

Mar 13, 2025

On the Police Logs 03.13.25

Low-flying drones were reported flying over Deep Hollow Ranch on the evening of March 3. Police saw their lights blinking red and white, but no action was taken. 

Mar 13, 2025

 

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