Bucks County man mourns loss of friends on Titan submersible
BENSALEM, PA. (CBS) -- A Bucks County businessman who had friends on board the Titan submersible is mourning their loss.
Alfred Hagen told CBS News Philadelphia when he went on board the Titan in July he understood there were risks involved.
"It's a terrifying thought," Hagen said.
Hagen, of Hagen Construction in Bensalem, says his heart has been aching since the Titanic submersible went missing Sunday.
"There was obviously a sequence of catastrophic events," he said.
A cell phone video showed a glimpse of a bacteria-covered Titanic before the camera pans to Hagen on the left while he took a trip aboard the submersible in July 2022.
"We had the most incredible experience," Hagen said.
Hagen took the trip with researcher Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who Hagen calls 'PH'. Authorities say he also went onboard the missing submersible.
"PH is this iconic figure in deep diving, he's the most famous deep diver on earth for very good reasons and he's just a wonderful warm human being. And it was really special visiting the wreck site with him," Hagen said.
Hagen also knows Stockton Rush, the CEO of Oceangate and who Hagen says invented the Titan.
"He was trying to drive the exploration of the deep ocean into a whole other plateau," Hagen said.
Hagan says he would still go on that voyage again if given the chance.
Father-and-son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were also on the submersible and are members of one of Pakistan's most prominent families.
Shahzada Dawood had degrees from the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom and Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University).
The university released a statement about his passing:
"Thomas Jefferson University expresses its deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman, who are confirmed to have been among the five passengers on the private OceanGate submersible which went missing this week on an expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.
Mr. Dawood earned a Master of Science degree in Textile Marketing from then-Philadelphia University in August 2000."