Two men killed in nighttime boating accident
COVENTRY — Two bodies were recovered in Johnson’s Pond Thursday morning after an overnight search to locate missing men who had been boating on the pond Wednesday night. The victims have been identified as 54-year-old Laurence Ryan and 47-year-old Steven Duarte of East Providence.
The Coventry Police Department responded to 106 Acres of Pine Road at 11:02 p.m. Wednesday night for reports of “people yelling for help” on the pond. Upon arrival, police say they were taken out onto the pond by residents with watercraft where they began the search. Officers reported hearing a woman calling for help near 125 Acres of Pine Road and shortly after located a 47-yearold female on a pontoon boat.
The female, a resident of West Warwick who has yet to be identified, said that a 48year-old and 54-year-old from East Providence had fallen off the boat and did not resurface. At a press conference on Raccoon Run Road around 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Coventry Police Chief Colonel John MacDonald reported that the bodies of the two men had been recovered and confirmed that he believes alcohol may have been involved in the incident.
MacDonald said police believe the two men had jumped into the water to save the woman, who had fallen in, but became distressed after getting her back into the vessel.
“Alcohol and boating … they just don’t mix,” said MacDonald.
Members of the Coventry and Warwick Police Departments were on scene Wednesday night and searched for several hours before temporarily calling the efforts off due to low visibility. The search continued in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Officers from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Central Coventry and the Hopkins Hill Fire Departments responded to the scene. Numerous residents in the area also assisted in the search, according to police, and the Warwick and Rhode Island State Police Dive Teams were called in. They retrieved the first body around 10:15 a.m. and the other not long after, around 10:30 a.m.
From 3 a.m. to 4 p.m. a Coast Guard helicopter was also circling above the pond without any success.
“They brought in this big boat that shined a huge light into the water,” said one resident. “You could see right down into the water.”
MacDonald said the boat is owned by a Coventry resident that was not aboard on Wednesday night. The woman was treated at a hospital for reasons that remain unknown. There are currently no charges pending but police say the investigation is ongoing.
Those who live on the pond say the water was quiet and calm on Wednesday night and report that there were actually only a handful of vessels on the pond.
“It’s not like if you’re out in the bay and the salt water is bashing you around,” a neighbor said. “It was very quiet and calm out here last night. There were hardly any boats out.”
Johnson’s Pond Civic Association member Jon Pascua posted on the organization’s Facebook page, calling the incident a “tragic accident on our pond.”
“Two lives were lost,” Pascua said. “The Coventry Fire Districts and Police did an incredible job rapidly organizing an impressive and immense effort to help those in need.”
Pascua encouraged others to be safe on the pond, especially at night.
In a press release, Coventry Police extended their condolences to the families of the victims, calling the event “a tragic accident” and thanking all the first responders for their prompt assistance in the rescue efforts.