Dix Hills Man Arrested For BWI Killing Boater

Suffolk County Police today arrested a man for boating while intoxicated following a crash.  The crash originally left one boater missing in the Great South Bay off Captree Island early this morning.  The body of the missing boater was later recovered. 

Suffolk County Police Dive Team Officer Steve Tarolli recovered the body of missing boater, Christopher Mannino, 39, of West Islip, in the Great South Bay. The operator of the Skater boat who was charged with Boating While Intoxicated has been identified as Brian Andreski, 26, of Dix Hills. Andreski is still in the hospital and was issued a Field Appearance Ticket for a later date. An autopsy will be conducted by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner to determine the cause of Mannino’s death.

Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau received a distressed call on the radio regarding a boat crash that occurred under the Robert Moses main span bridge at approximately 4:50 a.m. When Marine Bureau units arrived, they found one boat, a 25-foot Skater, overturned and the operator and passenger in the water. The other vessel, a 1967 38-foot Hatteras, with five people on board was damaged during the crash and had started to sink. One person fell into the water during the crash and was missing .  The Marine Bureau received assistance from the Aviation Section, Coast Guard and several fire departments. 

The operator of the Skater was arrested and charged with Boating While Intoxicated. The operator and the passenger of the Skater were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The four aboard the Hatteras were not injured. The Marine Bureau Dive Team continued to search the waters for the fifth boater until the body was recovered at approximately 1:30 p.m. 

Third Squad detectives with the assistance from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call the Third Squad at 631-854-8352 or Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.