Boat Kills L.i. Snorkeler

August 25, 2003 -- A Long Island man who was snorkeling near Jones Beach was killed when a boat struck him, authorities said.

Brian Scutellaro, 38, of Massapequa, was snorkeling in Jones Bay near his own boat when he was hit on Saturday night, Nassau, police said. It was not immediately clear if the driver of the boat, Michael Galante, 39, of East Meadow, faces any charges.

The Nassau County Marine Bureau came to the scene to help, but Scutellaro was pronounced dead when he was taken aboard the NCMB, authorities said.

His body was taken to the Medical Examiner's Office at Nassau University Medical Center.



Not Cool.

Snorkeling at night in a boat traffic area?
Not smart

I'm sorry for the swimmer and his loved ones...

I searched, but couldn't find the story on the Net? I wonder, was it really after sundown, and was he flying the Diver Down flag? Did the swimmer bring it on himself?

It was a tragic set of unfortunate circumstances. It was near sunset, but still not fully dark yet. The guy was snorkeling about 300ft from his boat, and not using a flag.

The area it happened in is a cove. It is "not" in a "no wake" zone, but it is in an area where a lot of people hang out, and it is generally considered good boatsmanship to be careful in there.

The guy who hit him was in a high powerd cigarette boat and was really hauling *ss. Technically, since he was not in a speed zone, and not intoxicated, he was not charged with anything (so far).

If both guys had it all to do over again..........