A New Jersey boater died from injuries he sustained when he was thrown from a boat during a Memorial Day crash on the Jersey Shore.
Gunnar Pearson, 28, was ejected from the boat as it cruised in the Barnegat Bay, near Brant Beach, Long Beach Island, at around 5:45 p.m. Monday, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia.
The vessel carrying Pearson and five others is believed to have struck a channel marker, causing Pearson and another passenger to be thrown off.
The boat – a center-console motorboat – had turned back around, but it took 15 minutes for those onboard to rescue both passengers who were tossed overboard.
The damaged vessel eventually made its way to land, where Pearson and the other boater were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Pearson, a resident of nearby Barnegat, was pronounced dead, the outlet reported, citing the New Jersey State Police.
The other four boat passengers were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Officials have not shared an update or publicly named the five other victims, but Gunnar is believed to have been spending the day on the water with his parents, brother, and both their girlfriends, according to Jersey Shore Online.
“Their family were avid boaters,” Rafael Adorno told the local outlet, saying his son had attended Barnegat High School with Pearson, a high school track star, who graduated in 2017.
Residents near the scene said the area had become foggy, creating less-than-desirable conditions on the water moments before the disaster.
“Visibility wasn’t great, though, today, especially around high tide. We had some weather coming through, so sometimes you get bogged down behind the fog,” Brant Beach resident Steve Helewa told ABC 7.
The boat, towed back to a marina on Long Beach Island Monday, sustained substantial damage to the gunwale and upper hull on the port side.
Local workers didn’t speculate on the cause of the crash as officials continue their investigation.
“Boating accidents happen, just like car accidents happen… it’s a shame, especially on a holiday,” Brant Beach Yacht Club property manager Michael Dolida told NBC Philadelphia.
“You’re distracted for two seconds and life changes real quick,” Dolida said.
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