Authorities: Man-of-wars sting 3 people on Long Island

“Beach goers should be vigilant”, said Fire Island National Seashore Chief Law Enforcement Ranger John Stewart in a statement.

In 2013, about 50 were spotted beached in the East End. “If visitors observe a Portuguese Man O’ War…they should alert lifeguards, park rangers or law enforcement officers”.

A News 12 viewer sent in a picture from a Montauk beach today.

The new reports come from Montauk and Tiana Beach in Hamptons Bay, said Christopher Gobler who leads the alliance, an environmental research group, at Stony Brook University.

Attorneys for a Pennsylvania man want his murder trial moved outside of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. They can appear in the North Atlantic when the water is warm and the winds are out of the southwest.

They are usually found in open waters in the tropics, but can be carried on the Gulf Stream up the Eastern Seaboard in the summer.

The creatures are technically a floating colony of organisms that form a pink or purple gas-filled pouch that sails on the surface of the water with numerous tentacles that can grow up to 30-feet or longer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In rare cases, its sting has reportedly proven deadly. Stings can happen even after the animal has died, officials said. And they look pretty, but they pack a painful and risky sting. If a severe reaction occurs, seek immediate medical attention.

With droves of beachgoers expected to venture out to the ocean on the upcoming hot and sunny weekend, Suffolk County’s Regional EMS Council (REMSCO) is advising first responders to be on the alert for patients who may be stung by highly venomous Portuguese man of war jellyfish.