A 6-year-old boy fell into the Housatonic River in Stratford around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday while he was walking along the Birdseye Boat Ramp with an adult, Stratford police said.

The incident trigged a multiagency response, with first responders from Trumbull, Monroe, the U.S. Coast Guard and state police - among others - helping in the rescue effort.

A Coast Guard helicopter circled the area surrounding the boat ramp and continued searching up and down the shore for hours.

A United Illuminating employee jumped into the water in an unsuccessful effort to rescue the child, police said.

Family members of the child could be seen praying on their knees, hugging and crying.

"The mood here is heartbreaking. The people, even the elderly people, you can see it in their eyes how sad they are - and you wonder how something like this could ever happen," said Jeff Babey, who arrived on scene shortly after the incident occurred.

"It was amazing to see so many people coming together and trying to help," Babey said.

Police said the rescue effort would continue overnight.