BUI Charge Filed In Connection With Canoe Accident That Left Eastern Connecticut Man Dead: DEEP

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Long Island man was drunk during a fatal springtime boating incident at a state lake that left a man from eastern Connecticut dead, state environmental authorities said, citing a warrant out of Middletown Superior Court.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation Police Friday announced the arrest of Michael Collins, 20, of Mineola, NY, for boating under the influence following the fatal canoe incident on Lake Hayward in East Haddam that occurred on March 21.

According to a news release, that day, EnCon Police responded to a report of two individuals in the water after their canoe overturned on Lake Hayward. The two occupants had been out on the lake with a group of friends when the canoe capsized, according to a news release.

One of the men, Collins, was rescued by passersby at the scene, according to a news release.

The second occupant, identified as Dominick Tocci, 20, of Woodstock, went missing in the water, according to a news release.

Following an extensive search, Tocci's body was recovered on the afternoon of March 23, according to a news release.

EnCon investigators determined that both men were drinking prior to launching the canoe, according to a news release.

Based on "evidence gathered during the investigation," an arrest warrant was issued out of Superior Court in Middletown on June 30, authorities said.

On Friday, Collins surrendered to EnCon Police at Connecticut at the state Police Troop K barracks in Colchester, where he was charged with operating a boat under the influence.

Collins was released on a promise to appear issued by the court, and he is scheduled to appear in court on July 23.