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Coast Guard, Crews Search For Missing Teen Kayaker In Connecticut River

Update

The mouth of the Connecticut River to the Long Island Sound in Old Saybrook.

The mouth of the Connecticut River to the Long Island Sound in Old Saybrook.

 Photo Credit: Google Maps
Joe Lombardi
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The Coast Guard suspended their search Tuesday at 5 p.m., for a missing teen kayaker in the water near the mouth of the Connecticut River.

Missing is William Zadrozny, an 18-year-old reportedly wearing work boots, a gray 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 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.

The Coast Guard’s search will remain suspended pending the development of new information. 

Assets included in the search were:

  • 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

Original report

The Coast Guard and local partner agencies are searching for a possible person in the water after receiving a report of an overturned kayak near the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook on Monday afternoon.

Missing is William Zadrozny, an 18-year-old who is reportedly wearing work boots, a gray and yellow jacket, and jeans.

At approximately 5 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.

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 Department
  • Old Saybrook Police & Fire Department
  • The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center at 203-468-4401 or on the radio at VHF-FM marine radio channel-16.

The disappearance of the 18-year-old comes after two others, a 21-year-old man and his 20-year-old girlfriend who were originally thought to be kayaking before authorities discovered an empty sailboat, went missing off the coast of Groton in eastern Connecticut early Sunday morning.

This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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