Hudson River Boat Crash: Body Believed to Be Best Man Found
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iStockphoto(NEW YORK) — Searchers found a body Sunday believed to be the best man in a wedding party, who along with a bride-to-be was thrown overboard from a speed boat that slammed into a barge on the Hudson River, police said.
Mark Lennon, 30, has been missing since he and the future bride were ejected from a 21-foot Stingray powerboat in the Hudson River that struck three connected barges in the water by the Tappan Zee Bridge in Piermont, N.Y., at approximately 10:40 p.m. Friday night.
Authorities said six people were onboard the boat, including groom-to-be Brian Bond, 35, and his fiancée, 30-year-old Lindsay Stewart. The group was on their way to Tarrytown, N.Y., when the accident occurred.
A man on a personal water craft saw the body Sunday morning and called 911, Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco said.
The body has not been positively identified, but Falco said officials believe it is Lennon.
Rescue crews found what appeared to be a female body floating on the surface of the water without a life jacket Saturday morning. It is believed to be the body of Stewart, but officials have not yet confirmed it is her.
Jojo John, 35, of Nyack, N.Y., the operator of the boat, was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault. Officials said they believe John was drunk behind the wheel of the boat when the crash occurred.
“At this point, we have probable cause to believe [John] operated the boat while intoxicated, and that’s the basis for the charge,” Rockland County Undersheriff Robert Van Cura said.
John was arraigned in his hospital bed and was ordered to be held on $250,000 bond, ABC New York station WABC-TV reported.
Bond, John and two other men onboard were injured in the accident and taken to local hospitals. Bond was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured eye socket, WABC-TV reported. When he regained consciousness, he called 911 to report the crash.
The future bride and the best man at her wedding, just two weeks away, were reported missing after the crash.
Stewart and Bond were to be married on Aug. 10, Stewart’s mother said.
“It can’t end like this,” Stewart’s mother, Carol Stewart, told WABC-TV.
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