At approximately 6:00pm on 02/01/2016 this agency received a call of an overdue boater. The caller reported that the missing subject was his 16 year old brother and that he had gone out for a short boat ride at approximately 4:30pm and had not returned home. The caller went on to explain that he attempted to call his brother’s cell phone numerous times but his cellphone was turned off. The Darien Police Marine Division and Noroton Fire Boat were then dispatched.
As officers arrived to the Long Neck Point area, they met with the subject’s father who was trying to see if he could see the vessel from shore. The subject’s father stated that the vessel was a 21’ Mako center console.
Once onboard “Darien 127” (the Darien Police patrol vessel) the United States Coast Guard was notified of the circumstances. As “Darien 127” exited the harbor, officers activated the vessel’s FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) camera. Almost immediately officers observed a small vessel matching the description of the Mako. Using remote controlled search and high powered LED flood lights, the officers were able to illuminate the area and confirmed that the vessel they located was in fact the one that had been reported missing. The FLIR and lighting systems are part of the equipment and technology package donated by The Darien Foundation for the new vessel which was placed into service in October of 2016.
The operator of the Mako was confirmed to be the missing 16 year old from Darien. The subject explained that the boat had broken down close to two hours earlier and he was forced to anchor. He also stated that his phone battery had died and that his VHF radio was not hooked up. After firing off three flares, the subject decided to lie down in the boat to try to keep warm. Although the outside temperature was only 35 degrees and dropping, the 16 year old did not require any medical attention.
After the subject was brought onboard of the police vessel, officers secured the Mako on a stern tow and brought it to the Darien Boat Club. The Coast Guard and Noroton Fire Department were then notified that their assistance was not needed. It was later determined that the boater was properly licensed and although he was not in violation of any boating regulations, he was advised to better prepare prior to going out in dangerous conditions. It was clear that if more time had elapsed he would have likely suffered from hypothermia.