A former mayor of the Village of Plandome Manor was killed on Wednesday in an explosion onboard a boat he and three others were refueling at the Manhasset Bay marina in Port Washington.
Bob Hogan, 74, a former NYPD police captain who owned the 33-foot Carver motor boat, the Gary Owen, was thrown into the water due to the force of the explosion and sustained fatal injuries, police said.
Nassau County Assistant Fire Marshal Michael F. Uttaro said Hogan’s body was recovered from the water. Police confirmed Hogan’s identity on Thursday.
Nassau County police said a dock worker pushed the boat away from the dock and suffered burns to his arms and face. He was transported to a local hospital and police said he is in stable condition.
The boat was sent adrift and set a nearby dock on fire, damaging two other boats, police said.
Another passenger onboard the boat dove into the water after the explosion erupted, Uttaro said.
Police said they are investigating the explosion as a homicide, but Uttaro said the fire was likely caused due to improper safety measures taken during the fueling.
“It’s like when you’re refueling your car, when you don’t take every precaution provided to you, accidents can happen,” Uttaro said. “They’re going to look at the whole process. They’re piecing everything together.”
The Port Washington Fire Department, North Hempstead Bay constable and New York City Fire Department responded to the explosion, which took place at 2:48 p.m. Tuesday.
Hogan served as mayor of Plandome Manor from 1994-95, moving out of the village before fulfilling a two-year term. He later served as the president of the Port Washington Estates Association.
In a statement, Plandome Manor Mayor Barbara Donno and the village’s board of trustees said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of former NYPD captain Bob Hogan, a former resident and mayor of Plandome Manor, as well as the others who were injured in this tragic incident. Thank you to the first responders who fought this fire and also to the good samaritans who responded so quickly to help the victims while trying to prevent an even greater tragedy.”
Hogan grew up in Brooklyn and attended LaSalle Academy in Manhattan before attending Manhattan College on a New York City Police Department scholarship. Hogan joined the police department in 1963.
He served 22 years in the NYPD and was an assistant traffic commissioner in the city Department of Transportation.
Upon retiring from the department, he was the director of public safety at the Javits Convention Center and later worked as an intelligence analyst for the Drug Enforcement Agency.
In 1968, Hogan joined the NYPD’s pipes and drums band and in 1981 co-founded the Manhattan College Pipe Band, which he served as director for 17 years.
Hogan unsuccessfully ran for commissioner of the Port Washington Police Department in 2010.
Hogan is survived by his wife of 52 years, Rosemary; children Grace, Colleen and Michael; sisters Virginia Pitsios and Margaret Dove; and six grandchildren.
A viewing was held for Hogan on Saturday and Sunday at New Hyde Park Funeral Home. A funeral mass was held on Monday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan.
