Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead file photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik Swanson.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Coast Guard suspended their search Tuesday at 5:00 p.m., for a missing kayaker in the water near the mouth of the Connecticut River.
Missing is William Zadrozny, an 18-year-old male reportedly wearing work boots, a grey and yellow jacket, and jeans.
“After working with our port partners to search extensively throughout the night and today, we’ve made the difficult decision to suspend the search,” said Cmdr. Andrew Ely, chief of response, Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound. “The decision to suspend is never made lightly, and our hearts go out to the family and friends of William Zadrozny.”
At approximately 5:00 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a call from a good Samaritan reporting an overturned kayak with a lifejacket and fishing gear on board.
The Coast Guard along with state and local agencies searched for a total of 33 hours and saturated a 381square-mile area to locate the missing kayaker.
Assets included in the search:
- A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Coast Guard Station New London
- Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead, an 87-foot cutter homeported in Newport, Rhode Island
- An HC-144A Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Old Lyme Police & Fire Department
- Old Saybrook Police & Fire Department
- The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
- Seatow
The Coast Guard’s search will remain suspended pending the development of new information.
