Commack Man BUI’s the Buoy
Don’t drink and boat, or you might end up worse than one Commack man who’s been arrested after a Buoy vs. BUI crash over the weekend. On Saturday night, Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers responded to a 911 call from Dublin Deck bar in Patchogue Bay. Witness accounts stated that a man who fled the bar after an argument, drove off in a 22-foot Sea Ray boat, heading down the Patchogue River at approximately 9:04 P.M.
Officers Daniel Smith and Charles Giardella responded to the fleeing boat call, aboard Marine Kilo. In addition to Marine Bureau officers, a Response Boat from the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Fire Island joined in the search. As Officers were responding to the area, a Ferry Boat Captain called in a report of boat crashing into a Buoy over the VHF radio. The Ferry Boat Captain reported that the boat had sped out of the Patchogue River, striking buoy #4 in Patchogue Bay.
Marine Bureau Officers Smith and Giardella were first on scene to spot the disabled vessel, carrying the boat’s operator, Erik M. Dowgiallo and his two male passengers. Thankfully there were no reported injuries from the crash. Dowgiallo, 35, of 148 Wicks Road, Commack, was charged with Boating While Intoxicated.