Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
19h ago

Rescuers Continue Overnight Search for 6-Year-Old in Housatonic River

A Coast Guard cutter alongside a Stratford Fire Marine vessel has scoured the river overnight since the boy fell at the Birdseye Boat ramp Wednesday.

Housatonic River in Connecticut. (Shutterstock)
Image
The Rocheambeau Bridges carrying I-84 over the Housatonic River in Newtown and Southbury.
Casey Cattie.

Overview

  • The boy slipped into the river at Stratford’s Birdseye Boat ramp around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, prompting an immediate emergency response.
  • First responders from Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and other nearby towns joined Connecticut State Police and U.S. Coast Guard units using boats, jet skis, drones, dive teams and a helicopter.
  • A United Illuminating employee dove in to rescue the child but was unable to reach him before he disappeared underwater.
  • Search operations have continued into Thursday morning as crews work to locate the boy in strong currents near the river’s mouth.
  • Data from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner records nearly 50 drownings along the Housatonic River since 2021 and experts warn its dams and hydro plants create powerful undercurrents.