July 29, 2013 -- Updated 1632 GMT (0032 HKT)
Authorites want to know how a power boat carrying bride-to-be Lindsey
Stewart and her fiance's best man slammed into a construction barge
north of Manhattan, throwing them from the boat. FULL STORY
|
BODY FOUND
Authorities want answers in boating accident that kills bride-to-be, best man
July 29, 2013 -- Updated 1425 GMT (2225 HKT)
Why did celebratory cruise turn tragic?
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Investigators look to reconstruct timeline in deadly accident
- A Jet Skier found the body believed to be best man Mark Lennon
- The body of bride Lindsey Stewart was recovered Saturday
- The wedding party's boat crashed into a parked barge on the Hudson on Friday night
"We're looking into every
single thing," Rockland County, New York, Sheriff Louis Falco said.
"What we're going to do is bring in an accident reconstruction team."
Lindsey Stewart and Brian Bond were planning to marry on August 10.
Mark Lennon, who was to
have been the best man in the wedding party, and Stewart disappeared
late Friday when a 21-foot Stingray power boat they were passengers on
slammed into one of three construction barges strapped together near the
Tappan Zee Bridge, 25 miles north of Manhattan.
Stewart and Lennon were thrown from the boat.
Stewart's body was
recovered Saturday. But the search for Lennon continued until Sunday
morning, when a Jet Skier called police to report a body in the river.
Investigators are working to positively identify the body.
Manslaughter charge in boating accident
Second body believed to be best man
Bride-to-be dies after boating accident
It was supposed to be a short boat ride up the Hudson River from the village of Piermont in Rockland County to Tarrytown.
The couple had just dined at a restaurant with friends when Stewart and Bond boarded the power boat, along with three friends.
What went wrong?
Potential alcohol use and poor lighting are key points of interest as authorities look into the deadly crash.
The barge the power boat
crashed into had been anchored in the river since April, according to
Robert Van Cura, undersheriff of the Rockland County Sheriff's Office.
"The barge had some lights on it; whether or not it was properly lighted is part of the investigation," Van Cura said.
"On a clear, moonlit
night, with the bridge lights on, you can see pretty well," Tom Sobolik
said from aboard his sailboat near the accident site.
The moon was last full on Monday.
But Craig and Celeste Kmiecik said they were boating in the area Friday night, and it was dark.
"There was a moon last night, but you really can't see anything," said Craig Kmiecik.
"The barge was not lit up," said Celeste Kmiecik. "We saw that last night coming back to the marina."
Another area resident, Anthony Fowler, said having barges on the waterway were an accident waiting to happen.
"If you put an immovable object that's dark in the path of recreational boaters, you have a recipe for disaster."
Boat operator arrested
Meanwhile, boat operator Jojo K. John, 35, has been arrested.
"We have probable cause to believe that he operated the boat while intoxicated," Van Cura said.
John was arraigned at an
area hospital on one count of first-degree vehicular manslaughter and
three counts of second-degree vehicular assault. More charges are
possible, Van Cura said.
John, along with the others who were not thrown from the boat, all suffered head injuries.
'In no condition to talk'
Bond, the groom, was
hospitalized at Westchester Medical Center, said Stewart's stepfather,
Walter Kosik, who visited him Saturday. "He was in no condition to
talk."
A spokesman for the
medical center said Bond was in fair condition, with serious head
injuries. He was the one who called 911 from the boat, reporting the
accident.
For the families, the tragedy was magnified by the pending nuptials.
"She's supposed to be married two weeks from today," Carol Stewart said of her daughter. "It just can't end like this."
CNN's Chris Welch, Alan Duke and Tom Watkins contributed to this report.
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