OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. — The search for two missing men continued for a third full day in Old Saybrook Thursday, following a boat crash that turned deadly around 9 p.m. on Labor Day.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has shared that 34-year-old Christopher Hallahan was found dead at the scene, while six others were sent to the hospital. As of Wednesday afternoon, police said the operator of the boat was still listed in critical condition, while others were sent home with less serious injuries.
Search and rescue crews with the State Police Dive Team, State Police Fixed Wing (a manned airplane) and several other boats with local and state agencies searched near the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook from 8 a.m. to sunset Wednesday, with no results.
The loss of life and the search is weighing heavy on the community, including in Westbrook, where Hallahan was from.
“The Hallahans have been here for at least three generations. Chris went to school with my kids. He’s on our Community Center Committee that we appointed him to a little over a year ago, to work on a potential community center for Westbrook because of his construction experience,” said Westbrook First Selectman John Hall.
Hall said Hallahan just got married a couple of years ago, and his wife was on the boat that day. He offered his condolences to the family, setting the town’s flags at half-staff.
“It’s a small tight knit community and everybody knows everybody. Chris was a young man who had everything together and [was] growing his business, family’s business, it’s a tragic loss for the town,” Hall said.
As the investigation into how the crash happened continues, locals are starting to point out that the area where the crash happened has been a problem for quite some time. The same time last year, four people were injured after a cigarette boat crashed in the breakwater.
“This has been an ongoing problem here. And 20 years ago, I got involved with the Coast Guard to say, ‘Hey look it, there’s things that need to be done here,’” said Stephen Tagliatela, managing partner at Saybrook Point Resort and Marina.
Tagliatela said the spindle at the end of the breakwater needs to be reflective. He said over the years, the paint has worn off and needs to be replaced.
“And then on the southern end of the breakwater, where the two breakwaters are ending, there’s a lighthouse on one end, which everybody focuses on, but you may not see the breakwater that you have to go over or around to get to that lighthouse,” Tagliatela said. “And so a lot of times, people are having difficulty with that part of the navigation where they’re actually going westbound towards the lighthouse and then all of a sudden there’s a breakwater in their way, you know, a tenth of a mile in front of the lighthouse. And that’s one of the things that we requested, to have another buoy placed right at the mouth of the river that’s lit.”
Tagliatela said the Coast Guard did add a buoy, but it’s not far out enough and therefore, not as visible in every direction.
Following the crash, he said he plans to reach back out to the Coast Guard again.
“I think they were partially successful, but paint wears out, and buoys need to be relocated from time to time and with those two adjustments. I’m hopeful that we can not have another day like we did on Sept. 2. And our heart all goes out, to them all,” Tagliatela said.
FOX61 reached out to the Coast Guard on Wednesday, but never heard back.
As for the search efforts, DEEP officials said the operation will pick back up again Friday morning.
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Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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