1 injured in dramatic sailboat explosion on Long Island

A 44-year-old Long Island man is intubated in a hospital but was lucky to be alive, his brother says as he escaped a sailboat explosion in Suffolk County harbor with several broken bones, despite what witnesses say it sounded like like a bomb went off.

Islip’s Scott Murray broke his wrist and ankle when his sailboat exploded in the Islip Canal shortly after 10 p.m. on Thursday, his brother said the next morning. The cause is being investigated, but Suffolk County police officers who responded to an emergency call say they smelled a strong smell of gas.

They boarded a ship moored at the pier to look for the source and possible victims.

They found the source – a leaking propane tank they took – and the victim. Murray was found among the wreckage and brought safely to shore. Chemical protection teams and the US Coast Guard, as well as fire and marine experts, assisted in a coordinated response. Murray is expected to survive his injuries.

His brother says he was intubated for fear of possible smoke inhalation. Murray was in critical condition as of Friday afternoon, a hospital spokesman said. Nobody else got hurt.

Police say they are currently unaware of any crime in the explosion. Their investigation is ongoing.