A postal worker from Westchester was feared dead last night after the boat on which he was fishing capsized with three other passengers aboard in the waters off Breezy Point, authorities said.
The three other passengers, including a 12-year-old boy, were rescued by a good Samaritan at around 5:50 p.m. and taken to shore by a Coast Guard boat, police said.
The Coast Guard said the 22-foot T-craft boat was about a mile off shore in Rockaway Inlet when a large wave crashed into it.
The boat started taking on water and capsized under its weight, authorities said.
The boat’s owner, Alfonso Rayo, 44, along with Sean Schoenwandt, 33; Jeremiah Swinton, 36; and Anthony Cardona, 12, found themselves struggling to stay afloat in the cold and choppy waters, police said.
Then the unidentified Samaritan aboard a nearby vessel helped pull Rayo and Schoenwandt – who both work for the post office on Staten Island – to safety onto his boat, police said.
Anthony, who lives in South Carolina and is visiting his grandparents in the city for the summer, was also rescued, authorities said.
The Coast Guard said the Samaritan sailed off after the passengers were moved to a rescue boat.
Coast Guard spokesman Steve Sapp said “no one was wearing life preservers” at the time, although safety jackets were found on the boat when it was towed back to shore and flipped over.
NYPD Harbor boats and SCUBA units scoured the waters last night looking for Swinton, but were unable to find him.
Schoenwandt and Anthony were taken to Peninsula Hospital, where they were treated and released a few hours later.
Rayo, who refused medical attention, had been fluke fishing yesterday morning when he decided to call it a day.
He agreed to go back out when his buddies called and asked if he could take them on a late afternoon fishing trip.
The vessel went back out around 5 p.m. and was in the water for about 45 minutes when the wave hit.
“I’m OK,” Rayo told The Post from his home on Staten Island last night. “I’m doing all right.”
Rayo said he was “still in shock,” but refused to say anything more about the accident.
“The cops told me not to say anything,” he said.
Additional reporting by Joe McGurk and Bill Gallagher