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Boater Allegedly 'Driving Drunk' During Crash That Killed Bride-To-Be, Best Man
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 7, 2013
Modified Nov 8, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 7, 2013
Modified Nov 8, 2013
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A grand jury has indicted a man on multiple counts of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the fatal boat crash that killed his two passengers, a woman two weeks from her marriage and a man who was her fiance's best friend. Additionally, the indictment says that Jojo John had a blood alcohol of 0.15—nearly twice the legal limit, as well as cocaine in his system.
On July 26, John was operating a boat in the Hudson River with Lindsey Stewart, fiance Brian Bond, best man Mark Lennon and a few other friends aboard. The six-passenger Stingray hit one of the construction barges for the Tappan Zee Bridge. Stewart's and Lennon's bodies were missing until search teams found them in the following days. Their bodies did not have life jackets; only two of the four survivors were wearing life jackets. Stewart's and Bond's wedding had been scheduled for August 10.
While John was arrested, the victims' families blamed the construction at the Tappan Zee Bridge, saying they were not well-lit. Stewart's and Lennon's families issued a statement, "We are disappointed that the office of the District Attorney focused its attention on the behavior of Jojo John to the exclusion of anyone else. We continue to believe that the owners and operators of the barges where this accident happened share responsibility for the happening of this accident. Not only was the lighting on the barges insufficient or non-existent on the night of this accident but the contractors using the barges were warned in advance of this tragedy that boaters operating at night in the vicinity of the Tappan Zee Bridge could not see the barges.”
According to the Journal News, John's attorneys "said they dispute the toxicology results, but ethical rules forbade them from elaborating outside of court." One said, "This is not like driving a car down the Long Island Expressway. It’s driving a boat across a wide open river. Had the barges not been there, what’s the worst thing that could have happened? They might hit the dock at where they were arriving.”
Tagged
boating
fatal boat crash
hudson river
jojo john
lindsey stewart
mark lennon
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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