6-year-old Kiara Paolasin, of Brooklyn, drowns after falling into Tuckahoe creek, police say
The girl fell into Sebonac Creek and was swept out to the Great Peconic Bay, police said. Credit: Google Maps
A 6-year-old girl died Saturday of a presumed drowning after police said she fell into the waters of a fast-moving creek in Tuckahoe while trying to retrieve a lost shoe and was swept into the Great Peconic Bay.
Southampton Town police said officers, including from the marine patrol, as well as Southampton firefighters and volunteer ambulance crews responded to a 911 call received at 8:09 a.m. about a possible drowning off a beach on Sebonac Inlet Road. Officers initiated CPR on the girl, identified as Kiara Paolasin, of Brooklyn, after she was pulled from the water unresponsive by a kayaker, police said.
Despite those efforts, police said Kiara was transported to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police said an initial investigation indicates the girl was at the beach with family members to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend. In an account based on witness information, police said, "The child went into the water to retrieve footwear that was floating away and slipped and got pulled into the current."
According to police, a 16-year-old family member attempted to reach the girl, but was unable to do so due to the swift current.
Police said family members were able to flag a kayaker in the area, who then paddled to the unresponsive girl and pulled her from the water.
Police did not release the identity of the kayaker.
The investigation is ongoing with the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office to determine the cause of death. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the incident to call them at 631-702-2239 or 631-728-3454.
Information can also be forwarded using the police email tip-line at crimetips@southamptontownny.gov.
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
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