Rescue boats searched Saturday and Sunday for two missing people from a boat crash near the Tappan Zee Bridge on the Hudson River. The 19-foot powerboat, which hit a construction barge, was carrying members of a wedding set for August 10. The body of Lindsey Stewart, the bride-to-be, was found Saturday in the search effort, while best man Mark Lennon’s body was recovered earlier today when a jet skier saw it near the Piermont Pier.
The Tappan Zee Bridge construction in May.
Groom-to-be Brian Bond was among 4 seriously injured, but will undergo surgery Monday and is expected to make a full recovery, ABC News reports. Meanwhile, his friend and boat operator, Jojo K. John, was charged with manslaughter and assault. Based on a blood test and witness reports, authorities believe John was under the influence of alcohol.
It also appears that very few of those onboard were wearing life jacket—neither of the bodies had one—and it is possible that all those onboard were drinking alcohol. One friend commented that “Knowing all of them, they were probably having a great time” according to USA Today. But additional focus has been placed on the safety of the construction barges replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge. Rockland County Undersheriff Robert Van Cura stated that “The barge had some lights on it…Whether or not it was properly lighted is part of the investigation.” Other boaters who were out that night say the barges were impossible to detect without radar, and an observer of the rescue scene says the victims, disoriented, had no idea why they had crashed.
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