A fatal boating accident in New Jersey's Barnegat Bay has resulted in criminal charges against a grandfather whose two young grandchildren died in the crash. The 64-year-old man turned himself in to authorities over the weekend and now faces multiple felony counts, including vehicular manslaughter, after investigators determined he was operating the boat while under the influence of alcohol.
The tragedy unfolded on the evening of July 19, shortly after 9 p.m., when a 30-foot motorboat was traveling through waters near Berkeley Township, a short distance from Lakewood, a town in Ocean County with a large Orthodox Jewish population.
Four people were aboard the vessel at the time: the 64-year-old operator, his wife, also 64, and their two grandchildren, 9-year-old Mia and 7-year-old "Ziggy," both residents of nearby Lacey Township.
According to the investigation, the boat was moving through the Intracoastal Waterway in the dark when it collided into a wooden channel marker used to guide vessels through the bay. Investigators confirmed that warning lights on the marker were functioning properly at the time of impact. The force of the collision was so severe that both children were thrown from the boat into the water.
The grandparents immediately attempted to rescue the children from the bay and managed to pull them to shore. Both children were rushed to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead.
A joint investigation conducted by the New Jersey State Police Criminal Investigations Unit, the Point Pleasant Marine Services Bureau, and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office determined that the grandfather had been operating the vessel while intoxicated and in an impaired state that affected his ability to control the boat. On Friday, he voluntarily appeared at the Berkeley Township police station, where he was arrested and transferred to the county jail.
The grandfather faces charges including two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter by vessel, operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol, and reckless operation. The devastating loss has shocked the local community around Lakewood and surrounding areas, with family members describing the siblings as best friends who were inseparable.
Local authorities noted that this represents one of the most severe tragedies in a series of fatal boating accidents that have occurred in the Barnegat Bay area this summer.
