A ‘caring soul’
Young Danbury dad, who died in kayaking accident on Long Island Sound, described as hard-working ‘sweetheart’
DANBURY — Oscar Castillo loved the water.
It’s where he took Gabriela Criollo for their first date and where he would go fishing with his father.
But on Sunday, the 22-year-old Danbury man’s kayak overturned in the rough seas of Long Island Sound off the coast of Stamford, killing him and sending 20-yearold Criollo to the hospital.
The couple considered themselves husband and wife, although they were not yet married, and have a 2-year-old daughter, Hannah, together.
“My love, my precious boy was
so happy,” Criollo said in Spanish, translated by a friend. “I loved how he was with me.”
Criollo left the hospital on Monday, said Nahomi Tarzia, who is friends with the couple and described Castillo as a “very loyal and caring soul.”
“He was like my brother, a piece of me that I lost,” said Tarzia, who created a GoFundMe page to raise money for medical expenses and burial services, with nearly $3,600 of the $20,000 goal donated by Tuesday afternoon.
“He used to tell me, ‘Nahomi, I wanna be the best father I can be for my daughter and I always want you to watch over my wife and daughter,’ ” she said.
Criollo said he was a great father. “He always did his best (as) a father to make (his) daughter happy,” she said. “He was the best example as a father. He was responsible and always very respectful.”
Castillo and Criollo met through track and field when they lived in Ecuador, according to Tarzia. Castillo’s family moved to Danbury, later followed by Criollo’s family. They started dating in October 2016.
Castillo graduated from Danbury High School in 2018, while Criollo graduated in 2019. Castillo worked at Chick-fil-A at the Danbury Fair mall and enjoyed soccer, Tarzia said.
The couple and their child lived with Castillo’s family. Criollo was staying with her mother and daughter on Tuesday, Tarzia said.
Although Castillo liked fishing, Criollo was not interested, Tarzia said. The Sunday kayaking trip was the first time they had gone fishing and sightseeing together, she said.
The strong winds and turbulent seas sent the couple into the Sound, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said. Criollo had hypothermia, while firefighters found Castillo, fishing poles and a backpack in the water. The couple was not wearing life jackets, officials said.
Castillo banged his head, lost consciousness and drowned, Tarzia wrote on the GoFundMe page. Criollo tried to grab him, but couldn’t see him deep in the water, the friend said.
Criollo told Tarzia that her lungs filled up with water and that she spent a day in the hospital, Tarzia said. She described her friend as “traumatized” by the experience.
Tarzia remembers Castillo for giving great advice.
“He used to motivate me and push me to do better with myself in life,” Tarzia said. “He was a boy who was one of a kind, loved to help others and be there in the times of darkest. He used to text me late at night when he couldn’t sleep. He was a hardworking soul, a sweetheart.”