Speaking to Time Warner Cable News, Timothy Turnbull, an officer with the Cheektowaga Police Department, said his police training helped solve a tragic case.
The 13-year veteran of the department near Buffalo says that, during the night of July 25 while on vacation with his fiancee at the Tea Island Resort on Lake George, he spotted a boat with five people aboard, pulling up to nearby docks without its lights on.
“They were telling each other to be quiet. It appeared very suspicious to me,” said Turnbull. "One of the girls made a comment about not letting anyone text anyone else about what had happened."
Once the five left, Turnbull took down the registration number of the boat and called the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
“I told them what happened, and within minutes, they had sent the state police and the sheriffs," said Turnbull.
Days later, authorities arrested and charged all five who they say were aboard the boat at the time of the crash that took the life of 8-year-old California resident Charlotte McCue, and left her mother badly injured.
“Police had come from the accident scene to where I was staying, and they told me what had happened and were clearly distraught," said Turnbull.
Turnbull says he and his fiancee feel for the girl and her family, but they're thankful he was in the right place at the right time.
“I wish I wasn’t sitting here, and I wish an 8-year-old girl was here today. It’s just a really heartbreaking story," said Turnbull.
Without his information, investigators say they would have likely had to search through thousands of boats to try and determine which one was involved in the accident. All five people arrested are scheduled to be back in court later this month.