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07/07/2017 12:00 AMA memorial service has been planned for the 10 year-old boy who died Friday afternoon while playing near the Branford River. According to posts on Facebook by one of the Branford fire deparment companies, the family and friends of the young boy will be gathering on the Branford Town Green on Sunday evening, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. for a candlelight vigil to honor the life of the young man.
The Short Beach Hose Hook & Ladder, Branford Fire Department Co. 4, which services Short Beach, Granite Bay, and the western part of Branford, posted a message from the Branford Youth Lacrosse Head Coach, Jim May, who characterized the boy as "an All American son, Teammate, student, and athlete... The Branford Youth Lacrosse Family and [the boy's] family would like to invite all to come the Branford Town Green Sunday evening 7:30 to celebrate the life of a little warrior..."
Police crews have recovered the body of the boy late Friday afternoon. He slipped into the Branford River near Tabor Drive while playing with his two brothers. He was sucked into a culvert by the outgoing tide around 1 p.m., and his body was recovered around 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, police said.
Branford Police Captain Geoffrey Morgan said the boy, whom he declined to name, was playing near a pipe culvert, lost his footing, and disappeared. His brothers, with whom he was playing, immediately called 911 when they could not find him. Morgan said the boy lived in a neighborhood nearby the river.
Morgan said he did not know exactly what "mission" the boy and his brothers were on when the accident happened, but he said it was likely a matter of three boys just enjoying playing near the river on a summer day.
"It's a great summer day, they are from the neighborhood. And I can say this, I grew up on the river. When you're a young boy, it's part of your livelihood, the Branford River," Morgan said at a press conference Friday afternoon.
A Warning About Tidal Waterways
The area where the incident occurred is a popular clamming area for adults and children alike, and easily accessible. Both Morgan and Branford Fire Department Chief Thomas Mahoney characterized the incident Friday as a tragic accident.
They also warned others to be vigilant about tidal waterways, particularly after heavy rainfall.
"Generally speaking...currents can be very swift around weather events, particularly where you have large bodies of water moving into a pipe. The water moves very fast. This is just a place that people should stay away from," Mahoney said.
He said the area where the accident occured was not an isolated area.
"These culverts where the tide goes from a wide area like a river into a marshy area, where the bridges go over them, there are lots of them located all over the state of Connecticut, and any coastal area where tidal water moves," he said. "And they are very dangerous. And it's essential that people just stay away from those areas. This is not the first time I've been involved with situations like this, and in those other situations, people have gone all the way through and come out the other side OK. But, unfortunately, not today. So it's really important to stay away from those areas."
Water Moving Quickly
Rescuers said the water was moving very quickly through the 48-inch culvert. The body was found within 500 feet of where the pipe discharged. The water around the culvert was cloudy and dirty, and there was still plenty of outgoing current while searchers were trying to find the boy, complicating the search.
Branford police officers were the first to respond to the scene, and they dove into the water, with their uniforms still on, while waiting for reinforcements to show up. Mahoney said members of the Branford fire department rescue team were in the river within minutes upon arriving at the scene and assessing the situation.
"From our experience, we find that we generally find someone within the area where it occurred, so we focused on that area, but we certainly covered our bases throughout the river system here, just in case the wind and the tide had other ideas," Mahoney said at the press conference.
"Our hearts go out to this family. Everybody did a great job," he said, his voice dropping.
Mucky Conditions Complicate Search
He praised the members of the Branford rescue team, along with those who responded from East Haven and Guilford police and fire departments. Members of the New Haven fire and police departments were en route when the body was discovered. Mahoney said "our partners from Guilford ... were the ones who located the young man.
"We had a lot of assets and technology. Unfortunately because of the terrain and mucky conditions, it was very difficult to find him. We were thankful we were able to do so," he said.
Police said clergy members were attending to family members.
The boy who died was playing with a brother, who was a year or two older, and another who was a year or two younger, police said.
Brothers Help Search
Police said members of the family were actively involved with the rescue effort.
In addition to help from fire and police officers from surrounding towns, rescuers also had some volunteer help, including a drone from a private citizen.
"The brothers were intimately involved with trying to rescue him," Morgan said. "This is a family, our hearts go out to them. Our hearts go out to the little boys. Our hearts go out to the firemen."
Mahoney also thanked the "good Samaritans" who helped by searching river banks and the rest of the river. "We can't thank them enough. Branford is a very tight knit community."
Terrible Loss for Community
The Branford Police Department reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard for help and possible helicopter support, but the Coast Guard was tied up dealing with other medical emergencies at the time. Morgan said earlier in the day that Connecticut State Police were unable to fly due to the weather. He said the rescue team used the privately owned drone to check the area, including the reeds around the waterway. In addition, members of the rescue team extended the ladders of the fire trucks, to improve their ability to survey the area.
Police officials again warned residents and others to be careful around bodies of water, particularly after heavy rains and as the tide is going out.
"We'd like to remind everyone that, although this was a tragic accident, please, please when waterways swell around rainstorms, it becomes important for our children not to get into these areas that flood rather quickly," Morgan said. "I guess there's not much else I can say about that. This is a terrible loss for our community."
Staff photographer Kelley Fryer contributed to this story.