At around 7:30 in the evening of Thursday, July 14, a boat carrying two county employees capsized on Lawson Lake in Coeymans.
Witnesses said they heard a yell before the boat capsized and the two men, who had been fishing in an aluminum boat near the shore, went into the water. One, who had been swimming toward the shore, reportedly went back for his companion and the two men disappeared under the water.
Divers spent hours searching the lake Thursday night and Friday morning, until the bodies were recovered Friday afternoon. Names of the men have yet to be released, but one reportedly works for the Department of Public Works and the other for the county’s Sewer District. Families of the two men, who are cousins, have been notified and gathered Friday at Empire Christian Center of Colonie to mourn their loss.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of two county employees who apparently drowned at Lawson Lake County Park Thursday evening,” said County Executive Dan McCoy in a press release on Friday afternoon. “I join the entire county workforce in offering my prayers to the families and fellow workers of these employees on this sad day. We have reached out to their co-workers to provide any assistance necessary to help them through this emotional time.”