July 23--STAMFORD -- Five people were thrown into the water late Sunday night when the 24-foot motor boat they were traveling in hit a break wall in Stamford Harbor and capsized, police said.
Four of the people were rescued and taken to shore at about 1:15 a.m. Monday, but a fifth boater -- an unidentified man in his 30s -- was still missing as crews from four municipalities were joined by the U.S. Coast Guard in a massive search.
Police said all five boaters -- three men and two women -- are from New Rochelle, N.Y. and were heading back after leaving a Stamford restaurant and bar just after 11 p.m. Sunday.
Alcohol appears to have been a factor in the crash, police said.
The two men and two women who were rescued declined medical treatment when brought to shore, police said.
Police set up a command center Monday morning near the Czesck Marina on Stamford Harbor, expecting the search to continue throughout the day.
Stamford Police Lt. Phil Mazzucco said at about 6:30 a.m. that a Coast Guard helicopter called in from Cape Cod was going to temporarily halt its search while a storm moved through the area.
Rain was falling and lighthing was visible on the horizon at about that time.
In addition to Stamford police and the Coast Guard chopper, emergency crews from Greenwich, Darien and Norwalk responded to the incident, Mazzucco said.
Police received a call at about 11:30 p.m. from residents who said they heard the boat crash and people screaming for help. A boater in the area also called to report the capsizing, Mazzucco said.
-- For updates throughout the day, follow reporter John Nickerson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jnickadvocate.
Copyright 2012 - The Stamford Advocate, Conn.
