Terror Continues to Hold Connecticut as Search for Man Missing While Swimming Yields No Results After 3 Days

One more tragedy hits the swimming world. Lake Naraneka in Ridgefield, Connecticut, has become the epicenter of a massive search and rescue operation since Monday. The local Police jumped into action after receiving news of a missing swimmer. The young man had gone swimming in the lake in the Pierrepont State Park area on Monday evening. He has been seen or heard from since then. The Ridgefield Police, Ridgefield Fire Department, the Danbury Fire Department, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Danbury Dive Team have all been working tirelessly to locate the missing swimmer.

The search operation on Monday was halted at night and resumed the next day at 9 a.m. This has continued for the last three days but with no results to show for it. The officials have not yet given up and will try again on Thursday. They are determined to exhaust all possibilities and resources to find the missing swimmer.

Swimming tragedy turns into recovery operation

Capt. Jeff Raines of the Ridgefield Police Department said on Wednesday that the search would restart on Thursday morning. He has also instructed his officials to put police tape around the location to preserve all evidence. According to News Times, the Police have yet to reveal the name and identity of the man who went missing while swimming in the area. However, as per initial reports, he is a 30-year-old man from New Fairfield. The officials have confirmed that the rescue operation has now turned into a recovery operation and that they are searching for his body.

In his correspondence with reporters, Captain Raines said, “We don’t know the reason for the drowning at this point, that’s something that’s usually discovered at the autopsy”. According to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, there have been 14 drowning cases in Connecticut in 2023, and out of them, only eight victims died in accidents. Wednesday’s search included an underwater drone to scope out the area where the man went swimming.

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The chief of Newtown Underwater Search & Rescue, Mike McCarthy, confirmed that the agency had gone through the entire area on motorboats and had not found any signs of him. The police departments of Brookfield and Danbury, alongside the dive teams of Norwalk and Westport, joined the operation on Wednesday. Even a New Milford-based fire company lent their assistance to the officials. But the recovery operation has not gone smoothly because of the unfavorable conditions of the lake.

The search is continued despite facing challenges

Both First Selectman Rudy Marconi and Greenwich Dive Team’s captain James Bonney said that the weeds in the lake are making the recovery operation more difficult. Bonney said, “The weeds are very tall, and when you touch them, it muds up the water”. This is a natural sight on the lake, especially during the summer season when the milfoil weeds grow 4-5 feet tall. Mike McCarthy also attributed his presumption of the man’s death to the summer season.

He said that during the summers, the waters are usually warmer, which can lead to a quicker death. This would have given the officials over an hour’s window to rescue the victim.  Marconi expressed his sadness for the family who are waiting for any update about their loved one. With the recovery operation restarting on Thursday everyone will be on their toes for updates.

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