MANORHAVEN, N.Y., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A retired New York City police captain died in an explosion as he refueled his 33-foot motorboat at a Long Island marina, investigators said.
Ben Hogan, 74, had also served as mayor of Plandome, a New York suburb on Long Island, a friend said.
The explosion Wednesday morning injured a dock worker who pushed the 33-foot Carver away from the dock at the marina in Manorhaven. A male passenger on the boat escaped injury by diving into the water.
Nassau Fire Marshal's Office Assistant Chief Michael F. Uttaro said Thursday the cause of the blast had not been determined, although improper venting of fumes is a possibility. He said investigators need to examine the vessel's hull, which "burned down to the waterline."
The burning boat drifted into another dock, damaging other vessels. Fire boats from Port Washington and New York City responded.
Brian Coughlan, band master of the New York Police Department's Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, described Hogan as a "Renaissance man."
"He had a lot of different interests and he excelled in all of them," Coughlan said. "It's a terrible loss not just to the band but for the guys who will never have the opportunity to know him."
