Off-Duty Cop Rescues Fisherman Off Shinnecock Inlet

An off-duty Suffolk County police officer helped rescue a local fisherman in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 80 miles southeast of the Shinnecock Inlet on July 3, authorities said.

Officer William Parmenter was fishing in the ocean when he received a mayday call over the marine radio of a fisherman suffering rapid blood loss following a fishing accident. After hearing the call, Parmenter, who is also a paramedic, contacted the victim’s boat with his radio and offered assistance. He quickly located and boarded the nearby boat with his trauma kit and helped the victim, 66-year-old Norman Orsinger of East Patchogue. 

Upon arrival, Orsinger was seen bleeding from both legs after a fishhook punctured his skin while he tried to catch a yellowfin tuna. Parmenter applied tourniquets to the victim’s legs and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and Suffolk County police Aviation Section for further assistance. 

The Coast Guard positioned their helicopter to meet the vessel approximately 20 miles south of Hampton Bays, where they airlifted Orsinger to Long Island MacArthur Airport. From there, Orsinger was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital by the Suffolk County Police helicopter where he was treated and released.