Suffolk County police officers rescued a kayaker who lost his gear, became stranded and was clinging to a pylon after being swept up in a strong current at the Old Inlet breach on Fire Island.
Timothy Miller was kayaking in Bellport Bay his kayak capsized, he lost his paddle and swam to a small island and then tried to swim to shore but the current was too strong, police said.
Miller called 911 with his cell phone at 8:08 p.m. and held onto a pylon until Marine Bureau and Aviation Section officers responded with two police boats and a Suffolk County helicopter that guided the vessels through the shallow water.
The 39-year-old Patchogue man was cold and exhausted when he was pulled from the water at 8:32 p.m. and later taken to a local hospital.
