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Stratford Man Swept Off Sandbar At Silver Sands State Park Presumed Dead

MILFORD, Conn. — A 28-year-old Stratford man was presumed dead after he was swept off a sandbar Friday afternoon at Silver Sands State Park in Milford, according to NBC Connecticut. 

A man was reported missing in the water off Silver Sands State Park in Milford on Friday afternoon.

A man was reported missing in the water off Silver Sands State Park in Milford on Friday afternoon.

Photo Credit: State Of Connecticut
At low tide, a sandbar reaches from Silver Sands State Park in Milford to Charles Island.

At low tide, a sandbar reaches from Silver Sands State Park in Milford to Charles Island.

Photo Credit: File

His body had not been located by Friday night, and the daylong search was called off until Saturday morning, when a recovery effort will resume, NBC Connecticut said.

A massive search began early Friday afternoon after two men walking on the sandbar from the shore out to Charles Island were knocked by a wave into the waters of Long Island Sound, police said.

At about 1 p.m., Milford Police received a call about two men in distress off Charles Island. One man was located by a private boater, pulled from the water and safely brought back to shore, police said.

Related story: Search Mounted For Man Swept Off Sandbar At Silver Sands In Milford

But the other man was not found despite a multi-agency water rescue effort that included a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, Stratford Police, Milford police and Milford Fire Department divers, police said via Facebook.

The two men, along with a female friend, rode their bikes from Stratford to the stat park Friday, NBC Connecticut said. All three started to walk out to the island, but the woman turned back, according to the Connecticut Post. 

The incident took place outside the designated swimming areas and there were no lifeguards on duty, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection told NBC Connecticut.

Signs are posted warning visitors not to go out on the sandbar when any part of it is covered by water, the Post said. 

All swimmers were ordered out of the water for the search, although many remained on the beach, the Connecticut Post said. 

Click here for the NBC Connecticut story, and click here for the Connecticut Post story.

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