DUMBO — A kayaker who was reported missing after his empty boat was discovered on the DUMBO waterfront had actually parked the vessel to grab a slice of "real Brooklyn pizza."
Tyler Jordan, 40, who was in town from his hometown of Virginia Beach to kayak 38 miles around New York City, said he left his boat on the rocks by Main and Plymouth streets at Brooklyn Bridge Park around lunchtime Wednesday to grab a bite.
He stopped into Front Street Pizza for a couple of “delicious” pepperoni slices before deciding to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Wall Street, he said.
As he was crossing the bridge back into Brooklyn, he saw a gaggle of police surrounding his kayak.
He first thought someone had tried to paddle out in the boat and flipped over, injuring themselves, so he sprinted down the bridge to talk to authorities.
He then quickly realized they were looking for him.
“I put my hand on one of the police officers’ shoulders and said, ‘So, is this about a kayaker?’” Jordan said.
Jordan, who had left his kayak there for 75 minutes, said there were several officers from multiple agencies at the scene, including the NYPD, the FDNY and the Parks Department combing both the shore and the water.
“I told them I was in Brooklyn getting some real Brooklyn pizza, and can you blame me?" he explained. "And they said no."
Officers told Jordan they had 12 different people call in reports of a missing kayaker in the span of 20 minutes.
While the police scene initially shook Jordan, he’s now laughing over the absurdity of the situation.
He left his kayak on a foam mat tucked between two rocks, with his life jacket neatly folded alongside some snacks and water bottles, he said.
“If you’re approaching you’d be like, 'Somebody left this here,' not, 'Somebody is in distress,'” Jordan said. “I believe the life jacket should be a solid dead giveaway because it’s not attached to a person.”
After catching up with officers and even swimming into the river to retrieve a paddle that fell into the water as officers dragged the boat to shore, Jordan took off to complete the remainder of his 12 and a half hour journey.
“It was an amazing trip, it was a lot of fun,” Jordan said. “I’m so glad I did it. That to me was a really funny aspect of it.”
The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
