By Shawn Beals, Hartford Courant
HARTFORD — A 33-year-old man fishing on the Connecticut River Saturday afternoon fell in while trying to retrieve a woman’s keys from the water, and was swept away by the flooded river’s swift current, police said.
Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley said the man was not found before dark, and officials were shifting the search to a “recovery operation.”
Foley said the man was fishing on the west bank of the river south of Adriaen’s landing, near the Connecticut Convention Center. He took of his hat and glasses before getting into the water to try to get the keys, and he was pulled into the current and could not get out.
Police did not release the man’s name Saturday.
The fire department’s marine unit and dive team searched the area near Charter Oak Landing before heading south to search closer to Wethersfield.
Foley said many Hartford-area parks near the river are flooded, and urged caution for anyone near the water.
“While the Connecticut River may look placid and calm, it is an extremely dangerous river with a powerful current. We strongly urge all those who fish the waters of the Connecticut River, from shore or vessel, to always wear a floatation vest or device,” Foley said in a news release.