Suffolk County officers rescue woman pulled unresponsive from Ocean Bay Park pool

A 19-year-old childcare provider was pulled unresponsive from a backyard pool near 56 East Bay View Walk in Ocean Bay Park Sunday afternoon, but a fast response from a homeowner and three Suffolk County police Marine Bureau officers turned a near-tragedy into a rescue. The woman regained consciousness after expelling water and began breathing on her own before she was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where she was listed in stable condition.

Suffolk County Police Sgt. Kelly Locascio and Officers Jordan Colon and Tyler Williams were on foot patrol on Fire Island at about 1 p.m. on June 21 when they heard screams coming from the backyard, police said. When they arrived, they learned the woman had gone underwater and failed to resurface. By then, the homeowner had already entered the pool, pulled her out and started CPR, keeping the first critical minutes from slipping away.

Officer Tyler Williams took over the resuscitation efforts as the Marine Bureau officers assessed the scene and continued the emergency response. The woman’s recovery came after she expelled water and started breathing again, a reminder of how quickly drowning emergencies can change when bystanders act immediately and trained responders arrive without delay.

The officers then transported her aboard Marine Boat Juliet to Timber Point Marina, where Islip Exchange personnel met them and took her by ambulance to the hospital in Bay Shore. The coordinated handoff between the Marine Bureau and land ambulance crews helped move the woman from a backyard pool on Fire Island to advanced medical care as quickly as possible.

The rescue carries added weight in Ocean Bay Park, a multi-generational Fire Island community with just under 300 homes and no lifeguards in the community itself. Suffolk County police Marine Bureau units patrol about 500 square miles of navigable waterways in the police district, including Fire Island, Jones Island barrier beaches and the islands of Great South Bay. For communities reached by ferry or water taxi from Bay Shore, that marine coverage can be the difference between a frightening scare and a fatal outcome when seconds matter most.