Connecticut
Warrant details moments leading up to deadly Labor Day boat crash in Old Saybrook
A newly released arrest warrant details what led up to a Labor Day boat crash in Old Saybrook that left three people dead on Sept. 2.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Environmental Conservation Police arrested Clayton Hackling, 26, of Lyme, on Wednesday.
The crash happened at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook on Sept. 2.
Nine people were on the boat when it crashed in the area of the break wall at the mouth of the Connecticut River, according to DEEP. Six people were rescued from the water.
Christopher Hallahan, 34, of Westbrook, Ian Duchemin, 25, of Oakdale, and Ryan Britagna, 24, of Waterford were killed in the crash.
DEEP said Hackling was driving the boat.
A woman on the boat sent a Snapchat to a friend minutes before the crash, saying “I feel unsafe,” the warrant reads.
Hackling allegedly started drinking alcohol at a restaurant in Block Island around 1:30 p.m. on the day of the crash. He later insisted on driving the boat by pushing another man out of the way and “becoming loud,” the warrant says.
Authorities said there was discussion about the boat’s GPS not working, so it was turned off and Hackling kept on driving, eventually hitting the break wall, according to the warrant. They were speeding at the time of the crash, going about 50 mph while traveling toward the mouth of the Connecticut River.
The area where the crash happened was a “no-wake” zone, meaning boats aren’t supposed to travel at speeds greater than six miles per hour, according to authorities.
A toxicology report revealed that Hackling had a blood alcohol content of .19%, which is above the legal limit.
Investigators conducted a digital forensics examination of the boat’s GPS data and determined that it was “functioning properly before, during and after the time of the collision,” according to the warrant. Authorities also learned that Hackling was trying to enter the Connecticut River outside of the designated area.
The warrant goes on to say that Hackling reported suffering from an “unknown chest issue,” which was later determined to be consistent with blunt force trauma. He was admitted to the hospital with visible head trauma, pelvis bruising, a collapsed lung, injuries to the bladder dome and small intestine, as well as an orbital fracture and cuts to the left eye and scalp, according to the warrant.
“The location of Clayton Hackling’s injuries is consistent with an impact to the vessel steering wheel and previously mentioned stabilizer bar,” the warrant reads.
A warrant was issued on Tuesday and Hackling turned himself in at Troop F on Wednesday.
He was charged with three counts of manslaughter in the second degree with a vessel, three counts of reckless operation of a vessel in the first degree while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, three counts of reckless operation of a vessel in the second degree, operation of a vessel while under the influence of liquor or drugs, required and authorized lights and rules for preventing collisions.
LYME — A body was recovered from the Connecticut River on Saturday, according to officials from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
At about 1 p.m., a vessel on the river reported seeing a body in the area of the Chester-Lyme Ferry, DEEP said.
The Environmental Conservation Police, along with the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit and Lyme and Cheshire fire departments, responded to the area and recovered the body, DEEP said. The body has been sent to the state chief medical examiner, DEEP said.
Bill Flood, a media relations manager for DEEP, said the body was identified as a male and appeared to have been in the water for an extended period of time.
The medical examiner will determine the manner of death and EnCon is investigating, Flood said, noting there is no believed threat to the public.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Even as a born-and-raised New Yorker, I have a relatively open mind when it comes to pizza. When I’m out on the road, I’ll eat at any pizzeria as long as I can see the oven from the counter and buy pizza by the slice. However, the idea of any place outside the Big Apple proclaiming itself “the Pizza Capital of the United States” is just sacrilege. Connecticut doubled down on its ludicrous claim last weekend by approving the rollout of a special “Pizza State” license plate. This is the worst affront to the craft since Chicagoans started shilling their crust-bowl casserole as pizza.
Connecticut Foodshare
Let’s actually take a look at this license plate. One peek, we all know the rules. “The Pizza State” plate features a similar blue-to-white gradient as on the standard Connecticut license plate. The aforementioned self-proclaimed moniker replaces the state’s official nickname, “The Constitution State,” beneath the plate number. To the right of the number is an image of a pizza slice ripped straight from Microsoft’s ClipArt library. It’s a flat image that looks nothing like what’s served in New Haven. Connecticut drivers will be able to pick up a “Pizza State” plate for $65.
This is a pizza war for good
The only undisputedly good aspect of the “Pizza State” license plate is that its introduction will help feed Connecticut’s hungry. According to CT Insider, the $28.6 billion budget bill approved by the Connecticut General Assembly last weekend, which authorized the plate, also directly appropriated funding to Connecticut Foodshare. The sitewide food bank will also receive $50 from each $65 license plate fee, as it continues to provide millions of free meals to food-insecure people.
Back to the pizza debate at the heart of the matter. Governor Ned Lamont declared Connecticut the country’s pizza capital back in 2024 as part of a marketing campaign to promote the state. That declaration could have grounds for war in a different century, but individual states apparently don’t fight wars against each other anymore. Connecticut had better go back to being a UConn Husky-obsessed suburb before New York makes Greenwich the next Toledo.
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