On September 13, 2018 at 11:23 A.M., Troopers out of SP Clarence responded to North Millgrove Lake off of Billo Road in the town of Alden for a rowboat that overturned and with two occupants.
Further investigation revealed that a group of friends were at the privately owned lake, fishing. Paul Nowak, 62 of Akron, NY and Russell Bolognese, 71 of Amherst, NY were fishing in a personally owned rowboat. For unknown reasons the boat overturned and Nowak yelled for help. Friends of both men were able to locate Nowak and return him to shore to administer life saving measures while others continued to look for Bolognese. Once Troopers arrived they entered the water and assisted with the search. One of the Troopers on scene was a prior member of the NYSP Underwater Recovery Team and was able to locate Bolognese and administer life saving measures. Tragically, both were unresponsive to medical treatment. Both victims were not wearing safety jackets at the time of the incident. An autopsy is scheduled to determine the cause of death.
This is still an ongoing investigation.
NYSP Forensic Identification Unit and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted in this investigation.
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.
