Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Bx. dad dies in Jet Ski horror

From the NY Post by By John Doyle and Larry Celona:

A Bronx family's holiday Jet Ski outing yesterday ended in a crash that killed a father in front of his horrified teenage daughter and niece, authorities said.

Nelson Aquilar, 37, was riding with his 14-year-old daughter, Ashley, in Eastchester Bay near Co-op City at around 4 p.m. when their craft suddenly stalled.

They were then accidentally rammed from behind by a second Jet Ski carrying his niece, Raina Romero, 16, and another teen, Arianne Chavez, 14, authorities said.

A mortally injured Aquilar and the girls were picked up by a private towboat and taken to nearby Goose Island.

Two firefighters from FDNY Marine 4 rushed to the tiny island by boat.

The tow craft went back to the mainland and picked up five more firefighters and two paramedics. The craft took them to the uninhabited island, where they stabilized the victims and brought them back to shore.

But Aquilar was in cardiac arrest. It was not immediately clear whether he had been stricken before or after the accident.

He died at Jacobi Hospital.

His heartbroken wife, Bernice Mariscale, said only, "He was a very good man," before breaking down in tears at the hospital.

The girls also were taken to Jacobi, where doctors said their injuries were not life-threatening.

Aquilar lived next to the Evers Marina, where the family had started its day, sources said.

They were Jet Skiing in the shallow waters around Goose Island when the accident occurred, the sources said.

Additional reporting by Philip Messing and Candace Amos

john.doyle@nypost.com

No comments:

Post a Comment