GILGO BEACH, N.Y. -- A helicopter carrying the son of World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Vince McMahon made an emergency landing Wednesday in the ocean off New York, and neither the pilot nor passenger were hurt.
Shane McMahon, a former WWE executive who currently plays an on-air role with WWE's television shows, was the passenger in the Robinson R44 helicopter that came down in the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island's Gilgo Beach late Wednesday morning. The red aircraft could be seen bobbing on its bright yellow pontoons as small boats circled about a half-mile south of the beach.
"It was very unnerving,'' McMahon said to reporters later. But pilot Mario Regtien "was super calm, which made me super calm, and we landed perfectly.''
He later tweeted his thanks to the pilot and emergency responders.
I'd like to thank the man upstairs for looking out this morning & thanks to pilot Mario, Suffolk Co. Marine Bureau & Fire Island Coast Guard
— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) July 19, 2017
Two lifeguards told Newsday they were the first to reach the helicopter. They said they had the men get into kayaks and row toward shore and were met by law enforcement rescuers along the way who took the men to shore.
One of them, Zak Viverito, said, "Everyone worked really well together.''
Shane McMahon's mother is Linda McMahon, who heads the Small Business Administration in President Donald Trump's administration.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter had taken off from Westchester County Airport in White Plains, made a stop at a heliport in Manhattan, then was flying east along the Long Island coast when the incident occurred.
The pilot issued a mayday call before going into the water, and a commercial flight heading to Kennedy International Airport heard it and relayed it to FAA controllers at a radar facility.
It was not yet clear what went wrong.
"Everyone is safe and sound," McMahon told WWE.com. "I look forward to seeing everyone at WWE Battleground in Philadelphia this Sunday."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.