A Brooklyn woman who'd been trapped under a capsized boat and four fishing buddies were plucked to safety yesterday after an eagle-eyed aviation cop spotted them floundering in the water only yards from the NYPD helicopter base at Floyd Bennett Field.
"I was in the middle of eating my birthday cake when I looked up and saw a boat listing," said NYPD chopper pilot Michael Hendrix. "I said, 'That doesn't look right.' Shortly after, it started disappearing into the horizon. I grabbed my binoculars and saw it was sinking."
It took less than five minutes for the three-man helicopter crew and two divers to fly out to Karen Washington, who had been trapped underneath, and her fellow boaters. They had been enjoying a day of fishing on Jamaica Bay.
By the time the rescue crew got there, "their heads were bobbing up and down" in the water, Hendrix said.
Boat owner Abdulio Rivera, 77; Washington, 35; her boyfriend, Reggie Linton, 44; Michael Gaddy, 47; and his wife, Nicole, 29, had not been wearing a life vests when the 15-footer's motor cut out.
"They were anchored, doing some fishing. They started taking on water and it overwhelmed the bilge pump," said NYPD Operations Commander Matthew Kearns.
Washington, who was standing at the bow, recalled: "We were having a great time. The porgies just started biting and then the boat just started going under. It was pretty rough."
She was thrown overboard, and her foot caught in the railing as the boat flipped.
"I was in the air pocket," she said. "I was scared but I tried not to panic."
Washington freed herself and made it to the surface just as the rescuers arrived.
It was lucky the boat capsized in view of the base. The people aboard had no radio and within seconds they were in water up to their knees.
"They were scared. They were holding on to the boat for their dear lives," said NYPD diver Robert Rodriguez. "The boat was sinking and drifting very quickly."
As the chopper hovered over the crippled boat, he and fellow diver Thomas Bridgeman plunged into the water and brought the exhausted victims to a civilian boat.
"They're our heroes for the year," said a tired and water-logged Washington of the cops. "They're just great."
Co-pilot John Goldin said, "The nice thing is nobody got hurt. The loss of a boat is a small thing compared to the loss of a life."
Nicole Gaddy was taken to Brookdale Hospital after she suffered an asthma attack later on shore.
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