48-year-old man found floating unconscious in Great South Bay, police say
The man was pulled from the water Thursday evening at Tanner Park Beach in Copiague, police said. Credit: Newsday/James Carbone
Suffolk County police detectives are investigating an incident that left a 48-year-old man hospitalized in serious condition after he was found floating unconscious in the Great South Bay off Tanner Park in Copiague on Thursday.
Police said he was clamming with his brother and two friends when he lost consciousness and was found floating in the water by a passerby at 5:09 p.m. Police said the bystander pulled him from the water, CPR was administered and 911 called.
Responding Copiague Fire Department paramedics continued CPR and additional medical treatment was provided. He was taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip. Circumstances surrounding the incident and whether a possible medical episode led to him becoming unconscious remain unclear.
Police said First Squad detectives are investigating and are asking anyone with information to contact them at 631-854-8152.
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
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