NEW YORK – The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search at 8 p.m. Wednesday for a 40-year old man who went missing off Beach 15th Street in Far Rockaway, Queens.
The Coast Guard received a report from Citywide that Hayward Patterson, of Jamaica, Queens, was wading in waist high water inside Rockaway Inlet at approximately 3:30 a.m. Wednesday when he did not return to the shore.
Coast Guard Sector New York and Sector Long Island Sound both responded with rescue boat crews from Station Jones Beach, Station Sandy Hook and Station New York as well as a rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J.
In total, five Coast Guard rescue boat crews and two rescue helicopter crews completed over 10 different searches. Responding agencies searched approximately 68 square miles for Mr. Patterson in the areas of Rockaway Inlet and Atlantic Beach.
Rescue crews from the New York Police Department marine, aviation and dive units, Nassau County marine and aviation units and a Coast Guard Auxiliary airplane also responded in the search for the missing swimmer.
