Search for missing victim suspended after deadly Staten Island boat accident
3 dead, 1 missing after boat capsizes near NYC
A boating accident in the Ambrose Channel near Breezy Point has left three people dead, two injured, and one still missing. Police have identified one of the victims as 50-year-old Cecilio "Javier" Adames. FOX 5's Lisa Ever spoke with his grieving family.
STATEN ISLAND - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the final missing victim of a boat accident near Staten Island that left 3 people dead and two injured.
The missing person has been identified as 52-year-old Vernon Glasford of the Bronx, and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans and black boots.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Vernon Glasford," said Capt. Jonathan Andrechik, the Coast Guard Sector New York commander. "The decision to suspend a search is always difficult. Though our active search has ended, our support and sympathy remain with all those impacted by this tragic incident."
Coast Guard crews searched a total of 842 square miles over 30 hours, using helicopters, planes, ships and small boats.
Boat overturned in waters near Staten Island
What we know:
The boat, which had departed from Howard Beach in Queens, capsized on Sunday at around noon in the waters of the Ambrose Channel, about 10 miles to the southeast of Staten Island’s eastern shore.
First responders recovered five people from the boat, four of whom were unresponsive. Three died, while two were airlifted to Staten Island University Hospital.
One of the injured remains in critical condition while the other is stable, police said.
One of the victims has been identified as 50-year-old Cecilio "Javier" Adames.
Friends and family described him as a selfless person.
"If you were hungry, he would feed you. If you didn't have clothes, he would give you his to put on. There's not one person that could say anything bad about him," said Edwin Morel, Adames' friend.
The Coast Guard is still searching for the missing person about five miles southeast of Breezy Point, Queens.
Timeline:
New York City 9/11 operators notified the Coast Guard four minutes after noon about a boat taking on water near Breezy Point. The Coast Guard deployed three rescue boats and a helicopter. The NYPD, FDNY and New Jersey State Police also responded.
What we don't know:
The cause of the accident, the kind of boat that sank and what it was doing in the channel was not immediately known. Authorities have not released any information about the victims.