Husband and wife killed in boat crash off Long Island, police say

A husband and wife were killed in a boat crash off Long Island over the holiday weekend, police said.

Louis Deritis, 53, and Renee Deritis, 50, died after the 27-foot boat they were on turned into the path of a 44-foot boat and collided around 10:40 p.m. ET on Sunday. The incident unfolded in the Great South Bay, a lagoon between Long Island and Fire Island, according to the Suffolk Police Department.

The collision caused the couple’s boat to capsize and ejected Louis Deritis into the water, where the Coast Guard and Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers found him on Monday morning, according to police.

Rescue divers with the fire department found the body of Renee Deritis in the cabin of the overturned boat, police said, adding that she was pronounced dead by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.

Louis and Renee Deritis lived in Oakdale, a hamlet on Long Island, according to police.

The operator and passengers of the other boat were not injured, police said, adding that both boats were impounded for safety checks.

“We all know what a horrible tragedy it is,” Ferdinand Caravousanos, 61, who was driving the 44-foot boat, told NBC News. “It’s very difficult. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for the family.”

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, according to the Suffolk Police Department, whose public information officer added that drugs and alcohol were not involved in the collision.

There were 636 boating fatalities nationwide last year — a 3.3 percent decrease from the previous year, according to U.S. Coast Guard data.