Canoe capsizes, boaters rescued from Long Island Sound

Three boaters had a close call when their canoe overturned in the Long Island Sound on Friday.

A worker at a power plant in Northport, Long Island, saw the men hanging onto a capsized canoe about 300 yards offshore just before 2:50 p.m. The worker immediately called the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau.

Officers Paul Carnival, Keith Walters, and John Falcone responded within minutes, police said. They pulled Javier Villatoro, 27, Jose Villatoro, 25, and Odir Vilorio, 30, from the water. Only Javier Villatoro was wearing a life jacket, police said.

The officers brought the trio to safety at the Soundview boat ramp in Northport. They declined medical attention.

The U.S. Coast Guard urges all boaters to wear a life jacket and points out that experienced paddlers wear life jackets whenever they're on the water.

"85 percent of fatal canoeing accidents and of kayaking fatalities involve people who were not wearing a life jacket," the Coast Guard says in safety materials for boaters. "Don't be a statistic. Wear your life jacket."