Suffolk County police rescue father and two children after watercraft capsizes

Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers pulled a father and two children from the Great South Bay after their personal watercraft hit a wave and capsized near Sayville, sending all three into the water. The rescue unfolded Sunday afternoon at about 3:55 p.m., when officers Raymond Cairo, Dale Kelly and Raymond Harkins used life rings to bring the riders safely to shore.

Police identified the rescued family members as Christopher Cruise, 31, Isabella Donoghue, 16, and Christopher Cruise, 10. A Suffolk County Police Department social-media post said the outing had turned sudden and dangerous when the personal watercraft flipped in the bay, a reminder of how quickly conditions can change on Long Island’s south shore.

The family was riding on the Great South Bay when the wave struck, according to the police account. A separate account said all three were wearing life jackets, a detail that likely mattered once they entered the water and the officers had to reach them in open bay conditions near Sayville.

The rescue also showed how fast a routine summer trip can become an emergency on the Great South Bay, where boat traffic, wakes and open-water chop can create hazards even close to shore. For families taking personal watercraft out on the bay, the immediate lesson is clear: keep life jackets on, watch the water ahead for wave action, and treat a small swell with the same caution you would give a heavier sea. When a craft rolls over, seconds count, and the difference often comes down to whether riders are protected and whether nearby help can get there fast.

Marine Bureau crews responded as the family was in the water and used life rings to recover each rider before the situation worsened. In a busy summer stretch on Suffolk’s waterways, the bay gave the family outing no warning beyond the wave that tipped the craft and the quick response that followed.