Loved ones are mourning a young man who was killed in a boating accident in New Jersey over the weekend.
Five people, including Corey Molinari, 19, of Whippany, New Jersey, were in a pontoon boat in the Barnegat Bay near the Route 37 Bridge early Sunday morning when it crashed into a channel marker.
Two of the five people were thrown into the water but made it back to the boat. Molinari was seriously injured in the crash.
When the boat made it back to a home in Toms River, New Jersey, around 1 a.m. Sunday, the father of one of the victims called 911 to report Molinari’s injuries.
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"They seem to have had an accident and one of the kids that is on the boat is like out and he's like bleeding," the father says in a call obtained by NBC10.
The 911 operator asked the father if anyone involved in the crash used any kind of substances. The father said they did not.
Molinari was airlifted to the Jersey Shore Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Three people who were on the boat suffered non-life-threatening injuries while a fourth person suffered moderate injuries.
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An 18-year-old man was operating the boat at the time of the crash, according to investigators. No one has been charged though the investigation is ongoing. In the meantime, police are urging boaters to follow safety protocols, especially as the summer approaches.
“We would like people to know there are limitations on the water,” New Jersey State Police Sgt. Robert Frake said. “We’ve been pushing really hard for the wearing of life jackets, PFDs and make sure they’re properly fitted.”
Sgt. Frake also spoke about the difficulty of seeing obstructions in the water while boating at night.
“Not everything is lit up out there at night so we want people to be conscious of their restricted visibility,” he said. “If there is alcohol consumption involved obviously, that could create more problems.”
NBC10 reached out to the 911 caller but he had no comment.
