Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A West Islip man was arrested and charged with boating while intoxicated Friday night after police say he piloted an erratic 24-foot vessel through the Great South Bay, fled from the U.S. Coast Guard, beached his boat, and ignited an engine fire in the process. According to Patch, the incident unfolded west of Captree Island beginning at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2026.
The sequence of events began when a 911 caller reported a 24-foot vessel moving erratically in the water west of Captree Island. That call prompted a joint response from Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers and the U.S. Coast Guard, who moved to intercept the boat. According to Patch, when the Coast Guard arrived on scene, the boat operator made no attempt to comply — instead, he tried to flee. In doing so, he ran the vessel aground, beaching the boat in the Great South Bay.
The consequences of that frantic maneuver were immediate. Police said that beaching the vessel caused the engine to overheat and catch fire. The operator — later identified as Abimal Acosta, 58, of West Islip — shut off the engine, which extinguished the fire, according to Patch. No injuries from the fire were reported, and the incident was classified as minor in terms of physical harm, though the legal consequences for Acosta proved significant.
Acosta was taken into custody by Marine Bureau officers following the beaching. He was transported to Timber Point, a marina and park complex along the Great South Bay in Great River, where a Suffolk County Police SAFE-T (Sobriety and Field Evaluation Team) officer responded to conduct field sobriety testing. The SAFE-T Team is a specialized unit within the Suffolk County Police Department trained to evaluate suspected impaired drivers and boaters in the field. Based on that evaluation, Acosta was formally charged with boating while intoxicated at 10:18 p.m., more than two hours after the initial 911 call was made.
Following his arrest, Acosta was held overnight at the Third Precinct. He was scheduled to be arraigned the following morning — Saturday, June 7, 2026 — at First District Court in Central Islip, according to police.
Location & Road Context
The incident took place on the Great South Bay, specifically in the water west of Captree Island — a barrier island located off the southern coast of Long Island between the towns of Babylon and Islip. Captree Island is accessible via Captree State Park and serves as a popular boating, fishing, and recreation destination during the warmer months, making the area a frequent patrol zone for both the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau and the U.S. Coast Guard. Timber Point, where Acosta was brought after his arrest, is a county-managed marina facility in Great River, just east of the incident location on the bay’s northern shore. For more on Long Island waterway activity and local traffic conditions, visit our towns section.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Acosta, 58, of West Islip, was charged with boating while intoxicated, a serious offense under New York State law that carries penalties comparable to driving while intoxicated on public roads — including the potential for license suspension, fines, and jail time depending on the circumstances and any prior history. According to Patch, Acosta was held overnight at the Third Precinct and was scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on Saturday, June 7, 2026. No information on bail, legal representation, or a plea was available at the time of initial reporting.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, with the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau making the physical arrest and the SAFE-T Team officer conducting field sobriety evaluation at Timber Point. The U.S. Coast Guard’s role in attempting to stop the vessel prior to the beaching is also likely to factor into any subsequent legal proceedings, given that Acosta allegedly fled an active Coast Guard stop on the water.
Broader Impact
Boating while intoxicated (BWI) on New York’s waterways carries the same Class A misdemeanor classification as a first-offense DWI on public roads, with penalties that can include up to one year in jail, fines up to $1,000, and mandatory suspension of boating and driving privileges. The Great South Bay sees heavy recreational boat traffic throughout the summer season, and incidents involving impaired boaters west of Captree Island — a busy corridor connecting western and eastern bay traffic — present significant risk to other vessels, swimmers, and waterfront communities along the Long Island south shore.