The TV star fisherman who disappeared with his crew off the coast of Massachusetts after their boat sank reportedly had a troubling conversation with his friend just hours before the tragic incident on Friday.
Gus Sanfilippo, the skipper of the Lily Jean, and six others are believed to have lost their lives after their 72-foot fishing vessel overturned in bone-chilling 12-degree temperatures at sea.
Fisherman Sebastian Noto mentioned that he spoke with Sanfilippo, a fifth-generation commercial fisherman from Gloucester, Mass., around 3 a.m, and they discussed the harsh outdoor conditions.
“I quit. It’s too cold,” Sanfilippo allegedly told Noto, according to NBC Boston. “He was calm. He just couldn’t handle the cold because the air holes were freezing.”
Noto became worried when Sanfilippo was unaccounted for hours later.
“I was about 30 miles east of him. We usually work together all the time. We are like glue man. We give a lot of information back-and-forth,” Noto shared with the outlet.
A Coast Guard helicopter and boat rushed to the area where the boat sent a distress signal beacon – approximately 25 miles off the coast of Cape Ann, Mass. The search was called off on Saturday.
There was no distress call from the vessel, and about 1,000 square miles were combed through by Coast Guard officials.
Crews deployed aircraft, cutters, and small boats over 24 hours as they contended with polar conditions.
“The decision to suspend the search was incredibly difficult,” said Capt. Jamie Frederick, commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all the family members and friends of the lost crew of the Lily Jean, and with the entire Gloucester community during this heartbreaking time.”
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.
Sanfilippo and his crew on the Lily Jean were featured in an episode of “Nor’Easter Men” that aired on the History Channel in 2012. The crew spent days at sea attempting to find seafood.
One body has been recovered, and six others are still missing, according to WFXT. An empty life raft and debris were also located in the water.
Environmental biology graduate Jada Samitt, 22, was among those onboard the boat, as confirmed by her family.
Her devastated aunt, Heather Michaels, expressed that being at sea was Samitt’s “dream.”
“This is something she loved and put her heart and soul into,” Michaels added.
Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, conveyed being “heartbroken” by the tragic sinking.
“To have that many lives lost all at once, we haven’t seen that in a long time.”
With Post wires
