Second East Haven Home Hit by Plane Will Be Torn Down

The following is a press release from the Town of East Haven.

Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. announced today that the home hit by the plane in the tragic Aug. 9 plane crash on Charter Oak Avenue is scheduled to be demolished Wednesday, Aug. 28.

Maturo explained, “This morning both I and Town Attorney Joseph Zullo met with State officials from the DEEP at the crash site and solidified plans for the home to be demolished tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. by Connecticut Tank Removal, Inc. of Bridgeport, Connecticut."

Maturo also stated, he met with Joanna Mitchell, mother of Sade and Madisyn, for any last items she wanted out of the home before it is razed.

“Although the homeowner’s insurance company has kept the Town abreast of its efforts to have the home taken down, the process has not moved as quickly as we would have liked. As a result, I contacted CT DEEP and Governor Malloy’s office to request State assistance to have the home immediately taken down,” Maturo said. 

Tomorrow, beginning at approximately 8 a.m., the home will be demolished in two stages. The top half, which is largely unaffected by contaminants, will be disposed at one location. The lower half, confirmed to be contaminated by jet fuel, will be sent to a second location to be properly treated.

Staff from the State Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Division will then perform a site assessment review to determine the nature of any contaminants, including jet fuel, present in and around the site.

From there, representatives of the NTSB are expected to perform one last review of sediment at the site for the purposes of completing their investigation. Finally, the remainder of any soil and debris will be removed.

The entire process and all reviews, from start to finish, are expected to be completed in less than 48 hours. 

“Several state and local officials have worked together to make this demolition possible in such a small amount of time," Maturo said. "I’d especially like to thank Governor Malloy and his staff for allowing us access to his resources. I’d also like to thank the Commissioner of the DEEP, all of the staff at DEEP, and the Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Division for their hard work as well.”

“Especially over the past week," Maturo continued, "neighbors have contacted me and requested that I do something to speed up the demolition process. Understanding their need for closure and the need for the property to be remediated before contaminants spread any further, I reached out to DEEP and secured the resources necessary to have the home demolished. I am pleased that the entire demolition and remediation processes will be completed in less than 48 hours.”

Maturo concluded, “The Town will continue to do anything and everything that it can to help this neighborhood heal and to help the families affected by this tragedy to move forward. I know that it has not been an easy three weeks. However, with the demolition of this second home, the affected families will be able to close a painful chapter of their lives and begin to move forward and heal from this terrible tragedy.”

For more information, please contact Frank Gentilesco at 203-468-3204.