SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. (PIX11) – An off-duty New York officer saved a fisherman from the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
The fisherman, in critical condition due to rapid blood loss following a fishing accident, was in dire need of help, police said.
William Parmenter, an off-duty Suffolk County officer in the second precinct, was fishing 80 miles southeast of Shinnecock Inlet in the Atlantic Ocean. Officials said Parmenter heard a Mayday call announced on the marine radio at around 2 p.m. Parmenter quickly sprang into action and contacted the victim's boat using the radio to offer assistance.
The off-duty officer was able to locate the victim's boat. The victim, 66-year-old Norman Orsinge, was bleeding from both legs after he was punctured by a fishhook while attempting to catch a yellowfin tuna, authorities dais.
Fisherman with tourniquets applied to legs. (Photo courtesy of the Suffolk County Police Department) Parmenter was able to apply tourniquets to both legs and contacted the United States Coast Guard and the Suffolk County Police Department Aviation Section.
A Coast Guard helicopter was called and met the boat, which was still in the Atlantic, 20 miles south of Hampton Bay. Orsinger was airlifted to Long Island MacArthur Airport and then transported to Stony Brook University Hospital via a Suffolk County police helicopter, officials said.
Orsinger was treated at Stony Brook Hospital for his injuries. He is expected to survive his injuries, officials said.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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