A 32-year-old man accused of falsely reporting boaters in distress in two separate occasions was a Fairfield firefighter.
Joseph Bell was arrested and charged with two counts of false public alarm for his role in two incidents where someone called the U.S. Coast Guard to report boaters in need of emergency assistance.
Further investigation and searches by air and water searches by local police, State Police as well as first-responders from surrounding communities determined reports were unfounded.