Three young relatives from Brooklyn drowned Sunday when their small boat capsized as they fished on an upstate lake.
The bodies of two of the youths – Domenico Coluccio, 19, and Anthony Dupont, 18 – were recovered about three hours after the tragedy.
A third relative, whose name was withheld, remained missing in the 49-degree water of Mountain Lake in Smallwood, 10 miles west of Monticello. A search was to resume today.
The fourth youth, Gianfranco Generoso, 20, of Bensonhurst, was miraculously pulled to safety after a good Samaritan rushed to help him, said Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty.
“Our preliminary investigation reveals that one of the subjects stood up and caused the boat to capsize, sending all four men into the water,” said Sheriff Michael Schiff.
None of the four was wearing a life jacket, he said.
And all were apparently dressed in several layers of warm clothing – which dragged them down – on the crisp, clear autumn day.
Chaboty said a woman walking her dog on Lakeshore Road in the tiny hamlet saw the four young men in the water screaming for help, and was the first to call 911.
He said another Samaritan, who lives nearby, went into the water and helped Generoso out, “but lost sight of the other three subjects.”
In Brooklyn, neighbors described the youths as members of a large family with thriving bakery and deli businesses in the once solidly Italian neighborhood.
Fatima Dermenci, who lives across the street from the Coluccio family business, Coluccio & Sons Quality Italian Foods on 60th Street, said Domenico was the youngest in a large and well-liked clan.
“They’re very nice kids,” she said. “They help here [at the deli]. They work together with their parents.”
She said Domenico was very devoted to his grandmother, staying with her recently when she was ill.
“They’re a very nice family, very good people,” Dermenci said, breaking down in tears.
At a nearby cousin’s home, landlady Rita Conte described the Generosos as a close-knit family.
“This is a disaster,” she said.
Additional reporting by Cathy Burkeand Alex Ginsberg