Booze cruise ends in beached boat, engine fire and BWI arrest for West Islip man, cops say

A warm June night on the Great South Bay quickly turned into a waterborne game of cat-and-mouse Friday between a West Islip boater and police — ending with a beached boat, an engine fire and a boating drunk charge.

Cops arrested Abimal Acosta, 58, at 10:18 p.m. after Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a 911 call reporting a 24-foot vessel moving erratically in the bay, west of Captree Island, about 8 p.m., authorities said.

When Coast Guard units reached the scene, Acosta allegedly made a run for it — gunning the boat toward shore and beaching it.

The maneuver caused the engine to overheat and catch fire. Acosta shut off the engine, extinguishing the flames before they spread, police said.

Marine Bureau officers took Acosta into custody on the spot and brought him to Timber Point, where a Suffolk County Police SAFE-Team officer administered field sobriety testing. He was placed under arrest and charged with Boating While Intoxicated.

Acosta remained in police custody overnight at the Third Precinct and was scheduled for arraignment Saturday at Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip.

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