Three off-duty firefighters from Kensington said they were in the right place at the right time Tuesday when they rushed to rescue a man who had fallen off a boat near the mouth of the Thames River in New London.
Kensington Fire-Rescue Lt. Wayne Leite decided to take his colleagues, Chief Jeff Pajor and Lt. DJ Pavasaris, on a fishing trip. They were on the water shortly before 1 p.m. when they heard a distress call over the radio.
Another boater reported that their passenger had fallen into the water somewhere near the mouth of the Thames River.
"We heard the call and Wayne cranked that thing right up. There was no discussion," Pajor said.
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“He needed help so we went there," Pavasaris said.
The firefighters found the other boat, but they did not know exactly where the man had fallen off. The search area was vast.
Thankfully, Leite knows those waters well. He is retired from the U.S. Navy, where he performed many search missions in the area.
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"It was second nature," Leite said.
They searched for about 10 minutes before they eventually saw the man floating. They said he was in his 60s and did not have a life jacket on.
"He was lucky we found him. He was really weak. He couldn't pull himself up," Pavasaris said. "It was close."
"He was weak, but he is alive," Leite said.
The firefighters called the U.S. Coast Guard and let them know that they had found the missing boater. They brought the man to the Coast Guard Station in New London, where EMTs transported him to the hospital for observation.
"Right place, right time - that's the only thing I can really say about it," Pajor said.
The firefighters did not get to do any fishing, but they say they can do that anytime. They hope to reunite with the man who they saved at some point.
