Death of East Hampton Swimmer Ruled Accidental

The death of a 37-year-old East Hampton man who drowned in the Connecticut River during a swim just before the July 4 holiday has been ruled accidental.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Dariusz Czarnota, formerly from New Britain and Poland, died from asphyxiation by submersion — meaning drowning — after jumping into the river on July 1.

The man was reportedly swimming with his brother , although after jumping into the water he never made it back to the surface.      

Czarnota’s body was . Police and firefighters believed he drowned, although the medical examiner’s ruling verifies the fact that it was accidental.

Czarnota left behind multiple family members in both the U.S. and Poland. He was a Quinnipiac University graduate and an employee at Yale University, .