Jack Shapiro Sr., retired NYPD sergeant from Holbrook, who died in the waters off Gilgo Beach, remembered as an avid surfer

Jack Shapiro Sr., a retired NYPD sergeant from Holbrook, headed out on Sunday to do what he loves: surfing.

His son, Jack Shapiro Jr., 19, of Miller Place, said in an interview Tuesday that his dad, who frequently surfed in the summer, was also prepared to deal with the water in colder temperatures.

“He had all the suits, gloves and headgear,” Shapiro said.

Elder Shapiro, 54, was pulled from the waters off Gilgo Beach on Sunday around 2:20 p.m. and died at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Suffolk County police said in a news release Sunday.

The son said the family, including Jack Shapiro Sr.’s wife, Kimberly, and daughter, Madelyn Shapiro, 22, of Miller Place, are waiting for autopsy results to determine how his father died.

“He was with two buddies,” the younger Shapiro said of Sunday’s outing. “I’m not sure if they pulled him out or if it was other people on the beach who did it.”

Shapiro said his father “probably liked to keep busy. We always snowboarded. He liked surfing, hunting and fishing. He always liked the beach.”

“I loved spending time with him,” Shapiro said, “and going to car shows and listening to classic rock.” Their favorite bands included Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult and Alice in Chains.

The elder Shapiro joined the NYPD in 1993 and retired in 2013, according to Scott Nicholls, a retired New York Police Department sergeant, who says he handles retiree registration with the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association. The department’s press office also confirmed that Shapiro retired in 2013.

Friend Richard Joseph Stamm wrote on Facebook: “Our friend Jack Shapiro was many things. Father, retired, decorated NYPD sergeant, craftsman, aspiring practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (sic)… and avid avid surfer. He was tragically taken from us at the peak of his life, doing what he loved…surfing the south coast of Long Island.” Stamm continued that he and his father “hoped to provide Jack with a proper rowing trip to Gilgo in the coming months.”

Stamm could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

As he prepared to surf off Gilgo Beach on Monday, Matthew Tavoulareas told Newsday in a video that he also surfed on Sunday. “It’s terrible to hear about it,” Shapiro said of the death. He added that on Sunday, “The waves were a decent size. It was cold.”

Tavoulareas told the surfer: “you have to be in good shape, especially when it’s cold. It’s hard in a wetsuit.”

Shapiro said funeral arrangements for his father are underway.

With James Carbon