A 34-year-old swimmer rescued by fishermen two miles off the New Jersey shore claims he was swept away in Queens 10 hours earlier, New Jersey police said Tuesday.
But this whale of a tale has led to more questions than answers, police sources said.
The swimmer, who identified himself as Pete Ordane and said he lived in New York City, was found bobbing in the waves two miles from the Sandy Hook shoreline about 9 a.m. Monday.
A fisherman and his son found the man struggling against the waves and brought him onboard, then took him to the Monmouth Cove Marina in Port Monmouth where he was given a clean bill of health.
At first, Ordane said that he went into the waters off of Breezy Point on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens and was pulled by the tide toward New Jersey. But he changed his story at least once, claiming he was swimming off Staten Island, according to sources.
Investigators couldn’t confirm where Ordane actually went into the water or at what time, the sources said.
Ordane claimed he was treading water overnight for 10 hours before he was found by the fisherman — but showed no signs of being exhausted or out of breath, cops said.
Ordane declined to be driven back to New York City by police, sources said. Officers provided him with a fresh set of clothes and some food before he made his way to a local train station.
“The Middletown Police commend the commercial fisherman and his son, who reside in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown and wish to remain anonymous, for taking such valiant actions and undoubtedly saving Ordane’s life,” a police spokesman said.
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