Authorities in New York have confirmed that both men who disappeared while kayaking over the weekend have been found dead in Shinnecock Bay.
According to a news release from the Southampton Town Police Department, Aaron Montemarano, 25, and Shane Garcia, 27, were reported missing on Saturday, Nov. 1, after Garcia’s girlfriend alerted police when he failed to return from a kayaking trip earlier that day.
Before their disappearance, Garcia sent his girlfriend a selfie showing himself and Montemarano kayaking near Ponquogue Bridge in Shinnecock Bay. Police later located Garcia’s work van parked at the end of Shinnecock Avenue in Hampton Bays.
During a search of the area, patrol officers discovered two kayaks and two sets of paddles that had washed up near Shinnecock East County Park. On Sunday, Nov. 2, divers found Garcia’s body, while efforts to locate Montemarano continued into the next day.
On Monday, Nov. 3, the New York State Police confirmed that Montemarano’s body had been discovered and recovered. “On November 2 and 3, 2025, the New York State Police Underwater Recovery Team (URT) in Troop L assisted the Town of Southampton Police Department in searching for two missing kayakers in Shinnecock Bay,” authorities said in a statement. “As part of the search, the team conducted SONAR and dive operations in the bay. Tragically, both kayakers were deceased, with URT locating and recovering one kayaker yesterday afternoon and the other kayaker earlier today.”
The Southampton Town Police Department said it is continuing its investigation into the incident.
