The family of a former NYPD cop is in mourning. The ex-police sergeant sadly passed away while surfing on Sunday in Long Island with some friends.
It's a shocking development. According to his family, he was in great shape for 54. But his family theorizes that he probably had a heart attack while surfing in the frigid water. Jack Shapiro was a retired NYPD officer. Shapiro had gone surfing at Gilgo Beach when he fell into the water and didn't resurface.
"He went surfing. With some of his friends from his Tae Kwon Do class," Shapiro's 19-year-old son Jack, told The New York Post. "He had all the equipment for cold-weather surfing. He had the whole face, head, gloves, shoes — everything covered."
His son said he was in good physical condition.
"He was in real good shape," he continued. "They're thinking it was a heart attack and then drowning. He was a good swimmer. He surfed all the time. During the summer, he'd go once or twice a week."
Former NYPD Cop Dies
Shapiro had been retired from the NYPD since 2013. His wife Kimberly remembers him as a good father to his son Jack and 22-year-old daughter Madelyn. Now the family is facing life without him. They remembered him for his love for outdoors as well as his love for music. In particular, he was a big fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Oyster Cult, and Nirvana.
Shapiro also enjoyed fishing and woodworking as well.
"He was a good father," she said. She also reflected on his love for life. "He loved to surf — he loved going to the cabin upstate with his children. He was very healthy, very strong — he was a strong swimmer — he was surfing for the last 15 years — he was very loved."
After collapsing in the surf, the ex-NYPD officer was rushed to Good Samaritan University Hospital. Sadly, staff pronounced him dead at the scene. The exact cause of death for Jack is to be determined. But it's unlikely to be comforting to the family.
"He had a bigger influence on me than he'll ever know," his son remembered. "I never told him because I thought I had the rest of my life to work it out."
