Identity of Haddam Drowning Victim Released

Editor's Note: The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reports Sunday night's drowning victim is Dominic Sobota, 18, of Ward Street, Hartford. Sobota was pronounced dead at 9:33 p.m. He was recovered from the river approximately 300 yards from the boat launch by the Middletown Fire Department's dive team.

11:15 p.m. Update:

The body of a man, presumed to be in the age range of 18-20, was located by dive teams at about 8:50 p.m. Sunday evening after nearly two hours of searching.

Shortly after 7 p.m. on Sunday evening, a man was reported missing in the CT River. According to a 911 call received by Valley Shore Emergency Center, the individual was swimming near a boat just offshore of the Haddam Island State Park when he went under and did not resurface.

Crews were called in from Haddam as well as neighboring rescue crews from East Haddam, Chester, South District, Middletown and Portland to assist in the search. Dive crews from South District, Middletown and Portland searched in a surface and grid pattern along the shore, where they eventually recovered the body, according to Bob Norton, Public Relations Liaison of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Company.

The man's identity has not been released yet.

Original Story:

Haddam Fire Company, East Haddam Fire Department and members of the Portland Dive team were at Haddam Meadow State Park searching for a man who reportedly fell into the CT River on Sunday evening. 

Witnesses report that a young man around the age of 18 fell off his Jetski into the CT River, just off the coast of Haddam Meadows State Park near Haddam Island State Park, a 14-acre island park in the middle of the river between Haddam and Haddam Neck (see map).

The man was not wearing a lifejacket, according to another park-goer on the scene.

A group of what appeared to be the missing man's acquaintances were hugging and crying nearby while crews continued their search. When asked what happened, one of the men shook his head and replied "I don't know" as he returned to hug the group of distraught young adults. 

Crews on the scene would not release any information while the search was still underway.