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Police blotter

Drowns at Seaport

A Queens man who jumped into the East River from the South St. Seaport’s Pier 17 to retrieve a disposable camera drowned shortly after 12:30 p.m. Sun. July 27 within sight of his friends and a crowd of Seaport visitors, police said.

The victim, Paul Oakes, 26, of Springfield Gardens, Queens, was standing at the north end of Pier 17 with friends when someone dropped the camera into the water. Oakes jumped in after it but the current began carrying him south. A would-be rescuer tied a rope to a garbage can lid and threw it to Oakes who could not grab it before he was swept away. Witnesses said the victim called for help and waved his arms before he went down for the last time.

Officers from the First Precinct, Harbor Police and a police helicopter responded to the call but could not find the victim. Police scuba divers found the body two hours later at Pier 16, police said.

Pipe bursts

A water line leading to a fire hydrant in front of 85 Chambers St. burst at about 8:30 a.m. Mon. July 28, witnesses said. The Fire Department and the Department of Environmental Protection are investigating the cause of the rupture. Chambers St. was closed between Broadway and Church Sts. for about an hour.

Dies after fight

After a fight between two men at 3:50 p.m. Sun July 20 in front of 172 Prince St., one of the men collapsed and was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital, police said. Nam Kim, 60, of Flushing died at St. Vincent’s two days later and police were investigating the case as a homicide after the medical examiner’s office found that a head injury led to the death. There was no arrest by press time, police said.

East Village burglary

Employees in an office at 23 E. Fourth St. told police that a burglar broke into the place on Wed. July 16 and made off with three laptop computers. A video camera caught an image of the burglar who was described as a black man about 35, police said.