2 Photos
Southampton Town Police said Shane Garcia, left, sent this selfie of himself and his friend, Aaron Montemarano, to his girlfriend when they were kayaking on Saturday, November 1.
Shane Garcia
The bodies of two men who failed to return from a kayak outing on Shinnecock Bay in Hampton Bays on Saturday, November 1, have been recovered.
Shane Garcia, 27, of Southampton and Aaron Montemarano, 25, of Riverhead both lost their lives in the boating accident.
Southampton Town Police were alerted by Garcia’s girlfriend on Saturday night that he had failed to return from an outing, and that she believed Montemarano was with him.
Police said Garcia had sent a cellphone photo to her that showed the two men on kayaks together earlier that day.
Montemarano was not reported missing until Sunday morning, when Riverhead Town Police were notified.
On Saturday night, police found Garcia’s work van parked at the end of Shinnecock Avenue in Hampton Bays, but their search efforts were hindered by darkness.
Police renewed their search at about 6 a.m. on Sunday. At about 12:30 p.m., New York State Police and Southampton Town Marine Patrol units were patrolling Shinnecock Bay when they came upon two kayaks washed ashore, as well as two paddles, in the vicinity of Shinnecock East County Park, police said.
Town Police detectives, assisted by other officers, as well as the department’s drone unit and a Suffolk County Police helicopter, scoured the area. Police said after Marine Patrol officers located “an area of interest,” State Police divers searched the area and recovered Garcia’s body.
Montemarano’s body was recovered by State Police divers at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday.
Stephen J. Kotz on Nov 2, 2025