Woman who escaped from boat fire off Cape Cod with her husband and son
dies at a hospital
[October 25, 2025]
By MICHAEL CASEY
Asleep on their boat anchored off Cape Cod, the Sullivan family was
awaken to their dogs barking, the sound of fireworks and smoke. Their
boat was on fire.
Tyler Sullivan and his parents jumped from the boat Monday night and, in
the darkness, began swimming to a privately-owned island. Tyler and his
father, Patrick Sullivan, survived, but Cynthia “Cici” Sullivan was
badly injured during the ordeal and died Thursday at a hospital, a
spokesperson for the Cape & Islands district attorney’s office said. She
was 73.
Patrick Sullivan, who was also injured in the fire, is awake and
breathing without help, his family posted on Facebook.
Once the Sullivans reached the tiny island, they hunkered down in a barn
and waited for help. They had left Falmouth on Friday and planned to
return Tuesday after spending the weekend anchored close to Naushon
Island, the largest in a chain of islands between the Massachusetts
mainland and Martha’s Vineyard.
The island is owned by a trust that is operated by five members of the
Forbes family, who trace roots to JM Forbes, a leading Boston
businessman and philanthropist who built railroads across the country.
By Tuesday night, relatives began to worry when the family hadn't
returned and the Coast Guard joined local authorities in a search. Other
boaters were alerted to the search efforts Tuesday night, according to
audio provided by Broadcastify.com.
“Mariners are requested to keep a sharp lookout and assist if possible,
and report all sightings to the Coast Guard,” the alert said.
It wasn't until Tyler Sullivan found a marine radio washed up on the
beach that he was able to call for help Wednesday.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday! Our ship went down in Tarpaulin’s Cove!” he
told a Coast Guard dispatcher, noting that he and his parents had taken
shelter at a farmhouse. “Our ship burned while we were sleeping and we
barely escaped!”
The dispatcher asked Sullivan about his parents’ medical conditions and
whether they were able to move around or sit up.
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A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter approaches Naushon Island, Mass.
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, where a couple and their adult son were
rescued two days after their boat caught fire and they swam to
shore. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
A Coast Guard helicopter rescued the family and flew them to a
hospital. Sullivan’s brother, Chris Sullivan, initially told WCVB-TV
that his mother was in critical but stable condition. But he
confirmed on Facebook that she had died.
“We played her some John Mellencamp as she passed, he was her
absolute favorite, she adored him,” he wrote. “This hurts more than
anything I could have ever imagined, I am leaning on my close
friends and family and my two young children. We will get through
this together.”
Scott Backholm, a search and rescue mission coordinator with Coast
Guard Sector Southeastern New England, credited the family for how
they responded to the fire.
“Quick thinking and having quality equipment allowed the family to
survive and call for help,” he said in a statement.
Chris Sullivan praised his brother’s actions.
“My brother saved both of them, he was able to get them off the boat
under extremely chaotic circumstances, he doesn’t want to be called
a hero, but he is,” he wrote on Facebook.
Authorities say the matter remains under investigation.
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