Body of second tugboat crew member pulled from Hudson River
NEW YORK -- The body of a second tugboat crew member who went missing after the boat crashed into a barge on the Hudson River north of New York City has been pulled from the river, authorities said Sunday.
The 90-foot tugboat named Specialist hit a barge early Saturday morning near where the new Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects two counties north of New York City, is being built. The tugboat sank, spilling about 5,000 gallons of fuel into the water.
The body has been identified as Timothy Conklin, 29, of Westbury, Long Island, New York. His body was brought back to shore after divers found him inside the tugboat around 11 a.m. Sunday.
"He was located in a passeway just inside one of the starboard entryways," said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Mark Magrino.
Conklin's brother told Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino the victim had been worried about the trip "because he felt that the currents were very, very strong," Astorino told reporters, CBS New York reported.
The third crew member aboard the tugboat when it crashed has been identified as Harry Hernandez, 56, of Staten Island, New York. He remains missing.
CBS New York reported that the search for Hernandez has been called off.
The body of Paul Amon, 62, of Bayville, New Jersey, was pulled from the water Saturday.
The tugboat was damaged to the point that a full search was not possible, Westchester County police spokesman Kieran O'Leary said.
In addition, visibility in the water was only about 6 inches, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday. "Much of the diving operation is actually done by feel," he said.
Authorities said three tugboats were pushing a barge from Albany to Jersey City, New Jersey, when one of the three -- situated on the right side as it headed south -- hit a stationary barge that was part of the Tappan Zee Bridge construction project. A tugboat on the left side of the barge that was being pushed, as well as one that was pushing the barge from the rear, were not involved in the accident.
But there were reports of radio transmissions from the tug that crashed saying, according to Cuomo, "We are too close. We have to move left." But it apparently was too late, the governor said.
Authorities believed the sunken tug is wedged directly underneath the barge it struck at the mid-span of the bridge.
Cuomo said he had been "hoping for a miracle" that the men would be found alive.
Instead, the governor said Sunday that he spent some time with the Conklin family, "which is obviously still in shock."
Cuomo said in a statement that 21 workers were on the bridge construction barge that was hit, but none was injured. He added the construction barge was illuminated at the time of the pre-dawn collision.
The accident occurred near the center of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge, and the Specialist sank in about 40 feet of water within minutes, authorities said. The water temperature in the area was about 40 degrees, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Cuomo said a team was on site to contain the leaking diesel fuel and he did not expect any long-term damage as a result of the spill.
James Mercante, an attorney for the owner of Specialist, said the crew was licensed, competent and experienced personnel. He called the crash "a shocking, horrific marine tragedy."
A spokeswoman for Tappan Zee Constructors, a consortium of companies building the new bridge, said the company is cooperating in the investigation.
The crash occurred near the scene of a 2013 boat crash that killed a bride-to-be and her fiancé's best man.
The new bridge is to replace an adjacent aging span that now connects Westchester and Rockland counties. Construction on the $3.9 billion project began in October 2013 and is expected to be completed by 2018.