By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
James Casella, 38, Scott Sackstein, 50, and Sackstein's son, Shane, 15, all of Oceanside, rescued Peter Ross and his son, Nicholas, of Commack, after the Rosses' 14-foot duck-hunting boat capsized in Reynolds Channel's roiling waves.
The Oceanside trio took to the icy waters to test the splash rail on Casella's boat at 3:30 p.m. last Sunday. As they passed Long Beach High School 15 minutes later, they were about to head home. But bigger waves to the east caught their attention, and they decided to head in that direction to give the new rail an even bigger test.
Just past a small channel known as Garretts Lead, near the Lido Beach Golf Course, the men spotted what they thought were kayakers. But as they drew closer, they saw 14-year-old Nicholas Ross sitting on the hull of a capsized boat waving to them, according to Casella. Then they knew there was trouble.
"I saw one guy in the water," Casella said. "We panicked."
Nicholas's father, Peter Ross, 44, was clinging to the side of the boat, dangling in the 48-degree water. The boat, which the Rosses used for duck hunting, had capsized after being hit by two- to three-foot waves, Nassau County Marine Bureau Sgt. Gregg Magnifico said. Thirty-five-mph wind gusts were also reported that day, according to Magnifico.
By the time Casell and the Sacksteins got to them, the Rosses and their dog had been in the water for nearly 20 minutes, Magnifico said. Shane Sackstein alerted the Coast Guard as his father and Casella maneuvered their boat toward Peter Ross.
As they tried to move closer, however, Casella said, the wind kept pushing the capsized boat farther away. And when Scott Sackstein and Casella threw Ross a life preserver, he didn't respond, Casella said. After several more tosses, Ross moved his head, and eventually he was able to grab the rope attached to the life preserver.
But when they tried to pull Ross out of the water, he hardly budged. Ross, who was dressed in waders and heavy clothing, was bogged down. "We thought he was attached to something," Casella said. "When we pulled him, [the waders] acted like an anchor. He was being dragged under and he didn't want to let go of the boat."
Finally, Sackstein and Casella were able to pull Ross aboard, but his son remained marooned on the hull. Peter Ross had wanted Nicholas to be rescued first, but Sackstein and Casella knew that Peter, whose speech was sometimes incoherent, was in much more danger.
Finally they maneuvered the boat close enough to Nicholas for him to jump aboard, Sackstein said. Neither the father nor son appeared to be wearing a life preserver, Casella said.
The Rosses were brought to the Long Beach Medical Center via boat, treated for hypothermia and released a few hours later, hospital officials said. A friend of the Rosses met the rescuers at the hospital and asked if they had found the Rosses' dog.
During the rescue, Sackstein said, they never saw a dog, and officials were notified that the dog was still missing. Another rescue team was sent out, and about an hour later the golden Labrador, which was wearing a canine life jacket, was found alive by Town of Hempstead Bay Constable Gordon Rieckhoff. After being resuscitated, the dog was taken to Long Beach Medical Center, stabilized and then transported to the Nassau Animal Emergency Group of Westbury. The Coast Guard and the Nassau Police Marine and Aviation Bureau also responded.
A family member who answered the phone at the Ross residence declined to comment.
The Town of Hempstead honored James Casella, Scott and Shane Sackstein, and Rieckhoff on Tuesday, Dec. 3 for their heroic efforts in the rescue.
