Boaters say debris from Jones Beach Air Show damaged their boats during America 250 festivities
SUFFOLK COUNTY, New York (WABC) -- Last weekend's Jones Beach Air Show was one for the ages as boats anchored to watch the jaw-dropping stunts in honor of America's 250th.
The aircraft released red, white and blue dye in the air that rained down on boats below -- which some say caused serious damage.
Some boaters say it's costing them thousands of dollars to make repairs.
"It was wonderful. It was a great day on the water and then all of a sudden, they started spraying the dye, the red, the green and the blue water coming out of the back of the aircraft and we noticed that the red dye was on the upholstery," Islip resident Clayton Hart.
Hart has been going to the Jones Beach Air Show for decades. On Sunday, he noticed the speckles on his friend Doug's boat. He said he didn't think much of it at the time and figured they would just wash it off when they returned to their boat slip.
"We tried everything from magic erasers to Clorox bleach to everything you could possibly think of," Hart said. "We called three boat dealers and apparently a lot of people have been affected by this."
Many people have taken to social media that were moored in the ocean and Zach's Bay for the airshow and are having the same problem---stubborn red speckles that won't come out.
Joel Fromkin was also watching the aerial show on his vessel with his family. He said a major concern is what they all may have been breathing in from these planes.
"What were you breathing? What were my kids, grandkids breathing? What was I breathing? So, yeah, that's what I'm worried about," Fromkin, a Bellmore resident, said.
Eyewitness News reached out to the parks department, which released a statement saying:
"The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation is aware of reports that a red dye or oil potentially impacted boats during the FourLeaf Air Show at Jones Beach. We are actively investigating the situation."
The boaters we spoke with said there is an estimated $10,000 to $20,000 in damage to their watercraft because they will have to be fully reupholstered.
"I think the only solution here would be that the county would be responsible for it, or the people that ran the air show, and we're looking forward to getting in touch with them with their insurance company," Hart said.
"I'd like to have my boat back the way it was when I left here in the morning," Fromkin said. "All these seats were fine and now it has these red spots on it."
There were many colors released from the planes, but only the red seemed to stain them.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
