Coast Guard searches cold waters off Staten Island, New York, for missing person after capsized boat kills 3

BREEZY POINT, N.Y. – Three people are dead, two others were injured, and a desperate search is underway Monday for a missing person after a boat capsized in the chilly waters near Staten Island, New York.

Four of the five rescued were found unresponsive Sunday afternoon about 5 miles off the coast of Breezy Point, Queens, prompting a massive multi-agency rescue operation, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

Coast Guard Sector New York said it received a distress call relayed by New York City 911 operators shortly after noon, reporting a boat rapidly taking on water near the tip of the Rockaway peninsula. 

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Within minutes, a coordinated response was launched, deploying three rescue boats from Coast Guard Stations New York and Sandy Hook, along with an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City.

Two of the rescued individuals were airlifted to Staten Island University Hospital, and the remaining three were transported to Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook.

The circumstances surrounding the capsizing, including the type of vessel involved, its activity in the channel and the cause of the accident, remain under investigation. 

Authorities have not yet released identifying information about the victims.