UPDATE: Fraser Sullivan, the company co-founded by Tighe Sullivan, has released a statement regarding Sullivan’s death in a helicopter crash Tuesday.
Tighe Sullivan, co-founder and managing partner of Fraser Sullivan Investment Management and co-head of 3i Debt Management U.S. died in a helicopter accident Tuesday night. John Fraser, Tighe’s business partner for the last seven years, said: “Fraser Sullivan and 3i Debt Management mourn the passing of our trusted friend and valued colleague Tighe Sullivan. We will miss Tighe’s unwavering zest for life that added so much to our professional and personal lives. As Tighe’s partner and friend for almost 30 years, I feel privileged to have known and worked with such a positive, generous and loyal person, and cannot begin to describe the loss we all feel. Our hearts go out to Tighe’s family as they cope with such a difficult time.”
Fraser told The Darien Times Thursday morning that “there’s a lot I could say about Tighe but you would run out of room in your newspaper.”
“I’ve known him for 30 years and he’s been a close friend and business counterpart for those 30 years,” Fraser said.
“His death has left a great void in our lives that will never really be completely filled,” he said.
Wednesday 1:13 — A Darien man was killed in a helicopter crash outside of Mount Pocono Tuesday evening when foggy weather impeded visibility as the pilot attempted to land, according to a report from the Pocono Record.
Tighe Sullivan, 51, husband of former selectman Callie Sullivan was identified by Monroe County Coroner Bob Allen Wednesday afternoon as one of the victims of the crash.
William Ellsworth, 52, of Califon, N.J., the pilot of the helicopter, was also killed. Stephen Barral, of Bernardsville, N.J., who was in the backseat, is listed in critical condition at Lehigh Valley Hospital.
According to the Record, the group was returning from a golf outing and headed toward the metro New York area, police said this morning.
Shortly before the crash Tuesday night, the chopper dropped off a passenger in Wilkes-Barre, according to Pocono Mountain Regional Police.
The chopper, which had been returning from an outing in Elmira, N.Y., got lost in bad weather and was attempting to land at Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport, according to the Record.
A witness reported seeing a chopper flying above I-380 shortly before it crashed. The wreckage was discovered about 100 feet from the road in the woods near Mount Pocono this morning.
A report of a missing helicopter reached police around 10 p.m. Tuesday but an initial search turned up nothing, according to the Record.
When the surviving passenger called for help on a cell phone, the U.S. Air Force and the Monroe County Control Center were able to rely on GPS technology to hone in on the crash site, the Pocono Record reported.
The Sullivan family released information on memorial services for Tighe Sullivan Wednesday.
In an email to The Darien Times, Lila Sullivan said “my father was an amazing man who’s spirit can never be recreated but will always be remembered.”
Randy Klein, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, said “our thoughts are with Callie and her family during this difficult time.”
He called the tragedy “gut-wrenching.”
First Selectman Jayme Stevenson sent an email to Town Hall employees and other Darienites about the tragedy Wednesday.
