Metro

Rescue workers remove man trapped inside cabin from capsized boat off Jones Beach

A men’s fishing trip turned into a nightmare this morning after a boat carrying six people capsized south of Rockaway Beach.

The Coast Guard responded to the overturned vessel at about 10:45 a.m., two miles off Atlantic Beach, after receiving a 911 call from Good Samaritans on another boat.

Fellow boaters say they pulled three men and two children to safety, while one man was trapped underwater inside the cabin.

Two NYPD divers rescued the missing passenger from the submerged boat, fighting through six-foot swells and tangles of fishing lines to save him.

The man was air lifted to Staten Island University Hospital in critical condition. Five other passengers were transported to nearby hospitals with minor injuries.

Detective Jeffrey Dowling, a 10-year veteran and lead diver of the NYPD scuba team, and Detective Barren Blum led the harrowing rescue after jumping from a helicopter hovering over the water.

The bouncing boat was upside-down and 80 percent submerged when they came on the scene, and the vessel’s bow was sticking up because of an air pocket in the cabin.

The brave rescuers could feel the boat sinking and were about to bail when they saw two feet sticking out of the cabin, NYPD officials said.

Dowling grabbed the unconscious man and held him against his chest as Blum guided them out.

The man, who is on a ventilator, is in critical but stable condition.

John Bologna, 48, of Oceanside, rescued the remaining passengers before NYPD arrived.

He said he saw the 20-foot boat capsize with three men and two boys — one who was about 5 years old — on board.

“They were bobbing in the water saying, ‘Help us! Help us!’ The kids were terrified. I don’t think they’re going in the water anytime soon,” Bologna said.

Bologna’s fishing partner, Martin Safer, 55, of Lido Beach, said one of the men was screaming, “Get my baby!”

“We pulled the first child out of the water and then the father into the boat,” Safer said. “Once they were on our boat, they told us about a sixth person.”

After they called 911, the NYPD divers rescued the man, said he had a pulse and gave a thumbs up, Safer said.

Coast Guard officials said rescue boat crews from Station Jones Beach, Station Sandy Hook, N.J., and NYPD and Nassau County Police units responded.

“Life jackets are proven to help save lives, whether your vessel capsizes, you fall overboard, or may be unconscious,” said Cory Nussbaum, an officer at Station Jones Beach. “The important thing is to remember to wear your life jacket at all times and ensure everyone aboard your vessel knows how to respond to emergencies.”

The cause of the capsized vessel is under investigation.