Jack Shapiro Sr., retired NYPD sergeant from Holbrook who died in waters off Gilgo Beach, remembered as avid surfer

Jack Shapiro Sr., a retired NYPD sergeant from Holbrook, had set out Sunday to do what he loved: surfing.

His son Jack Shapiro Jr., 19, of Miller Place, said in an interview Tuesday that his dad, who went surfing often in the summer, was also equipped to deal with water in the colder temperatures.

 “He had all the wetsuits, gloves and head gear,” Shapiro said.

The elder Shapiro, 54, was pulled from the waters off Gilgo Beach unresponsive Sunday at about 2:20 p.m. and later died at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Suffolk County police said in a news release Sunday.

The son said the family, including his wife, Kimberly, and daughter Madelyn Shapiro, 22, of Miller Place, was awaiting autopsy results to learn how his father died.

“He was with two of his buddies,” the younger Shapiro said of the Sunday outing. “I’m not too sure if they pulled him out or if some others on the beach did.”

Shapiro said his father “liked to keep busy, I guess. We would always go snowboarding. He liked surfing, hunting, fishing. He always liked the beach.”

“I loved spending time with him,” Shapiro said of his father, “and going to car shows and listening to classic rock.” He said some of their favorite bands were Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult and Alice in Chains.

The elder Shapiro joined the New York Police Department in 1993 and retired in 2013, according to Scott Nicholls, a retired NYPD sergeant who said he handles retiree’s records at the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association. The department’s press office also confirmed Shapiro retired in 2013.

On Facebook, a friend, Richard Joseph Stamm posted: “Our friend, Jack Shapiro, was many things. A father, a retired, decorated NYPD Sergeant, a craftsman, an aspiring Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practicioner [sic]… and an avid surfer. He was tragically taken from us at the prime of his life doing what he loved … surfing Long Island’s South Shore.” Stamm continued that he and his father were “hoping to give Jack a proper paddle-out at Gilgo in the coming months.”

Stamm could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

As he prepared to surf off Gilgo Beach on Monday, Matthew Tavoulareas said in a Newsday video that he had been surfing on Sunday as well. “It’s terrible to hear about that,” he said of Shapiro’s death. He added that on Sunday, “The waves were a decent size. It was cold.” 

Tavoulareas said to surf, “you have to be in good shape, especially in the cold. It’s hard in a wet suit.”

Shapiro said funeral arrangements for his father were pending.

With James Carbone