A New York Police Department (NYPD) officer lost his life in a boat crash that occurred on Long Island. The incident took place when the boat unexpectedly flew out of the Great South Bay and collided with a house on West Fire Island. The victim has been identified as Phillip Sanzano, a 47-year-old officer from Bellport, Long Island. Sanzano served in the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick, Brooklyn, for 18 years. He was a dedicated law enforcement professional with a military background.
The incident occurred on Thursday morning, leaving the 30-foot Wellcraft center-console boat lodged in the deck of a house. Sanzano’s companion, Christopher Cannella, 47, contacted emergency services to report the accident. The boat had run aground and flipped over, with the crash resulting in Sanzano’s untimely death. It remains unclear who was operating the boat at the time of the incident.
Officials are still in the process of investigating the circumstances that led to the boat crash. The Suffolk County Police Department stated that the cause of the accident is yet to be determined. The two men had set out for a fishing trip early in the morning, but it is unknown from which mooring they departed. The Islip Fire Department noted that the boat appeared to be traveling at a high speed before the collision. The impact was so severe that the boat had to go airborne to reach its final resting place.
Fortunately, no one was inside the house when the boat crashed into it. The damaged property on West Fire Island is now under investigation by the Suffolk County Police Third Squad. Detectives are working diligently to gather evidence from the scene.