A West Islip man was arrested Friday night after police said he operated a boat while intoxicated, fled the Coast Guard and beached the vessel in the Great South Bay.
Suffolk County Police said a 911 caller reported a 24-foot boat moving erratically in the water west of Captree Island at about 8 p.m. June 5.
The Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau and the U.S. Coast Guard responded.
Police said the boat operator tried to flee from the Coast Guard and beached the boat in West Islip. The engine overheated and caught fire, but the operator shut it off, extinguishing the flames.
The operator, identified by police as Abimal Acosta, 58, of West Islip, was taken into custody by Marine Bureau officers and brought to Timber Point. A Suffolk County Police SAFE-T Team officer responded for field testing.
Acosta was charged with boating while intoxicated at 10:18 p.m., police said.
He was held overnight at the Third Precinct and scheduled to be arraigned June 6 at First District Court in Central Islip.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Photo: SCPD Twitter
