A second body was recovered Sunday in the Hudson River near where a bride and her fiance’s best man went missing after a boat crash Friday night. Ida Siegal reports.
A second body was recovered Sunday in the Hudson River near where a bride and her fiance's best man went missing after a boat crash Friday night.
The body that was believed to be 30-year-old Mark Lennon was discovered Sunday by a person on a Jet Ski, Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco said. It was found a mile downstream from where the body of a woman, believed to be Lindsey Stewart, was found Saturday.
Falco said both families had been notified and were distraught. The bodies have since been taken to the medical examiner's office; neither person was wearing a life vest.
"I don't think you can put words to what we have to tell these families," he said.
Mark Lennon's family remembered his sense of adventure and love of travel.
"Every day was an adventure for him and that’s the way he loved it," said his brother, Raymond Lennon, who also said he believed Mark was now "at peace."
Stewart, 30, was set to be married Aug. 10 and Lennon was to be the best man at the wedding. Stewart's fiance, Brian Bond, 36, was also injured in the crash near the Tappan Zee Bridge, along with three others, including the driver, who was arrested.
Authorities said Jojo John, described as an acquaintance of the couple, has been charged with first-degree vehicular manslaughter and second-degree vehicular assault. Police say there is probable cause that the 35-year-old driver was intoxicated.
There was no answer at his home Sunday.
Investigators say Stewart and Lennon were thrown overboard when the 21-foot Stingray crashed into a construction barge. The Coast Guard said the six boaters were near Piermont when it hit the barge at around 10:40 p.m.
The woman's body was found near the bridge, Rockland County Undersheriff Bob Van Cura said Saturday afternoon.
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Stewart's stepfather, Walter Kosik, said the bride and groom had known each other since they were 10 years old.
"They have been friends the whole time, and they fell in love about 3 ½ years ago," Kosik said.
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The injured were taken to the hospital and officials described their injuries as severe, including head trauma and broken bones. Van Cura said they are expected to recover.
Kosik said Bond, the groom, was unable to speak because of the severity of his injuries.
Authorities have declined to identify the other two boat passengers, saying they're considered witnesses to a crime. One has been released from the hospital.
Investigators say that while it would have been dark in the area at the time of the crash, the barge was lit up. The New York State Thruway Authority said all barge lighting was found to be operational Saturday morning.
It was unclear how fast the boat was going.
On Sunday, family and friends left flowers outside the couple's home and gathered to pray at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Pearl River, the same church where the couple was to be wed.
Stewart's former English teacher at Pearl River High School, who remained in contact with her through Facebook, called the accident "heartbreaking."
"She was one of my students and a bright, sweet girl loved by everyone," said Doreen Arney. "I knew that she was getting married, and to Brian. To happen to two such special kids — it just shouldn't happen."
