Mar. 23, 2023 By Bill Parry
NYPD Special Operations divers made a disturbing discovery beneath the surface of Jamaica Bay on March 22 that was particularly alarming given the location’s proximity to JFK International Airport.
Detectives from the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway were alerted to multiple firearms submerged in Jamaica Bay by a concerned New Yorker.
Police responded to Beach 38th Street and Norton Avenue, just two blocks away from the kayak launch at Bayswater Park in Edgemere, and requested ESU personnel, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
NYPD Special Operations divers (File photo by Lloyd Mitchell)
At 10:15 a.m., divers from the NYPD’s elite Emergency Service Unit plunged into the waters near Beach 38th Street and Norton Avenue, where they recovered an arsenal of semiautomatic assault rifles and handguns that were reportedly in good condition.
The cache of weapons included three assault rifles and 13 handguns, but the exact number of weapons is still being determined, according to the NYPD spokeswoman.
Some of the weapons that NYPD divers recovered from the waters of Jamaica Bay near JFK International Airport Wednesday, March 22. (Photo courtesy of the NYPD)
The spokeswoman said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.