Hampton Bays Man Dies After Car Lands in Shinnecock Canal

confirmed Tuesday evening that the driver of a 2001 Lincoln sedan that was has died. He has been identified as Simon R. Flaherty, 80, of Hampton Bays.

Police said that at 2:24 p.m. they received numerous calls of a car driving from the Meschutt County Park parking lot in Hampton Bays and into the Peconic Bay side of the Shinnecock Canal. A Suffolk County police helicopter was called in to aid divers in locating the car, and Hampton Bays Fire Department divers were able to get Flaherty out of the car, police said. "Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance members made every attempt to resuscitate him," police added, and he was officially pronounced dead by a Southampton Hospital emergency room doctor at 4:06 p.m.

Flaherty was taken to the Suffolk County medical examiner's office in Hauppauge and police detectives are "actively investigating the incident and are awaiting the ME’s findings to further their investigation," police said.

The vehicle was recovered by the Southampton Town Police Department Dive Team and a Rapid Recovery heavy tow truck. It was impounded at police headquarters in Hampton Bays for further investigation, police said.

Responders included Southampton Town police, Southampton Town bay constables, Hampton Bays, , , North Sea, , Mastic, Medford, Eastport and Mattituck fire departments, Hampton Bays and Southampton ambulance, the U.S. Coast Guard, Suffolk County Park police and state Department of Environmental Conservation police.