A late-night boating excursion on Johnson’s Pond ended in tragedy Wednesday after two men jumped into the water to rescue a friend only to become victims themselves. After a nearly 12-hour search that involved divers, boats and a Coast Guard helicopter, the bodies of the two men were pulled from Johnson’s Pond Thursday morning. The victims were identified as Laurence Ryan, 54 and Steven Duarte, 47, of East Providence.
“It’s been a very difficult night and morning in Coventry,” said Fire Chief Frank Brown of the Central Coventry and Hopkins Hill fire districts on Thursday.
The search for Ryan and Duarte began around 11 p.m. Wednesday night when Coventry police officers were alerted that people were yelling at the pond, according to a police news release.