Michael Collins Arrested in 20-Year-Old's Fatal Canoe Capsizing on BUI Charge

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 16

Michael Collins, 20, turned himself in on July 10 and was charged with operating a boat under the influence after a March canoe capsizing on Lake Hayward left Dominick Tocci, 20, dead.
Investigators say Collins had been drinking with friends before he and Tocci launched the canoe late on March 21; it capsized, Collins was rescued after calls for help, and Tocci disappeared underwater.
March 23 brought the end of a multiday search as DEEP police, state police drone and dive teams, firefighters and other responders recovered Tocci's body from the lake.
July 23 is Collins' scheduled court date after his release on a promise to appear, and authorities have not announced any additional criminal charges tied to Tocci's death.
Connecticut's DEEP linked the arrest to broader boating-safety enforcement, noting alcohol is the leading known factor in recreational boating deaths and that a 2025 law can also suspend a convicted boater's driver's license.