Fourth Person Presumed Dead as Coast Guard Calls Off Search After Boat Sank Off New York City
Mar. 15, 2025The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for a man who went missingafter a boat capsized and sank off the coast of New York City, reportedly killing three and injuring two others.
The agencyannounced in a news releasethat it had suspended the search for Vernon Glasford, 52, of the Bronx, at about 6 p.m. local time on Monday, Feb. 24.
The Coast Guardpreviously saidofficials were notified on Sunday, Feb. 23, about a boat taking on water near Breezy Point, a neighborhood at the tip of Queens’ Rockaway peninsula.
The agency also said that a Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook boat crew rescued three people, an Air Station Atlantic City air crew recovered one, and an NYPD aviation crew retrieved one additional person. The five were taken to local hospitals.
Three people were initially reported to have died following the incident, according to ABC affiliateWABC,NBC NewsandSky News. Meanwhile, one person, later identified as Glasford, was missing in the water, the Coast Guard reported.
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“He was the best person in the world. He was the best person you would ever come across and would help anybody,” Gloria Morris, the father of two’s cousin, told theNew York Post.
“His presence was always cheerful, and that’s one blessing that we all have and take with us,” Eva Ruiz, a neighbor and longtime friend of Glasford, toldWABC.
The Coast Guard has said that its crews searched about 842 square miles over 30 hours, employing helicopters, planes, ships and small boats in the operation.
One of the three who died was Javier Adames, 50, WABC andThe New York Timesreported. His daughter Alisha told the paper that she was invited to the boating trip but declined due to the cold weather.
Two of the survivors were identified as Enrique Diaz and Sewchand Maniram, theNew York Timesreported. Diaz was in stable condition, according to a hospital spokesperson, while Maniram’s daughter told the newspaper that her father is recovering.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard said that it is coordinating with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation regarding the investigation’s next steps.
When reached for comment on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the New York Police Department differed PEOPLE to the Coast Guard, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
source: people.com
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