Overview
- The Lily Jean’s emergency beacon activated around 6:50 a.m. about 25 miles off Cape Ann, and no mayday call was received.
- Rescuers found a debris field, recovered one body, and located an empty life raft; after covering roughly 1,000 square miles over 24 hours, the Coast Guard suspended the search with six crew members presumed dead.
- Officials named the victims as Captain Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo; crew members Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short, and Sean Therrien; and NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt.
- A district-level Coast Guard investigation is underway with NTSB assistance, a process expected to take several months and aimed at identifying safety improvements rather than assigning blame.
- Gloucester held a memorial Mass for the seven as local leaders said their names will be added to the city’s fisherman’s memorial, and NOAA temporarily suspended observer deployments in the region.