Man Escapes from Hospital After Bizarre Boat Incident

A man involved in a reckless boating spree managed to escape from a Manhattan hospital early Wednesday morning. Disguised with a lab coat but barefoot, he fled Columbia University Irving Medical Center after being detained there.

The suspect, Stephen Blasetti, 36, was last seen wearing only a hospital gown, socks, and a lab coat, having bolted from the Milstein building near West 168th Street. He had been taken into custody earlier following a weekend episode where he was spotted sailing a stolen boat into the Hudson River, reportedly under the influence of methamphetamines.

Blasetti had been at the Dykman Street Marina when employees, observing his erratic behavior, asked him to leave. Instead, he jumped into a small sailboat and paddled away. The NYPD’s Harbor and Aviation Units responded swiftly, tracking him as he navigated the river.

Blasetti fleeing hospital in lab coat — Blasetti was seen running from the hospital in a lab coat, without shoes.

The suspect then sailed to a larger, anchored catamaran, where he climbed aboard. Officers from the Harbor Unit responded and arrested him on the vessel. Interestingly, Blasetti was neither shackled nor handcuffed at the time of his arrest.

Blasetti on the boat before arrest — Blasetti was detained on the larger vessel after the pursuit.

Following his capture, Blasetti was hospitalized for treatment. Authorities noted that he has no current open cases in New York City aside from his prior charges related to the boating incident. No further arrests are listed against him.