Ipswich Man, 72, ID'd After Drowning In Plum Island Sound: Police

PLUM ISLAND SOUND, MA — A 72-year-old Ipswich man is dead after drowning in Plum Island Sound Wednesday afternoon, the Ipswich Police Department said in a news release.

In an updated news release Thursday afternoon, Ipswich police and fire officials identified the man as Richard P. Collins, who was from the Great Neck area.

The drowning was reported around 3 p.m. Wednesday, when the Ipswich Bay Yacht Club contacted Ipswich police after spotting a person in the water in the club's mooring area just offshore, police said.

Collins appears to have been swimming at Clark Beach in Ipswich, police said.

Ipswich police said they dispatched their marine unit, which found the 72-year-old and quickly took him to the club's dock. First responders performed CPR before Collins was taken to the hospital, where he died, police said.

Collins is believed to have drowned accidentally, according to police. His death is still under investigation.

Plum Island Sound is located about eight miles west of Cape Ann on the Atlantic Ocean behind Plum Island near Castle Neck.

SEE ALSO:

• 2 Dead In North Shore Water Incidents: Essex DA's Office