Boat operator charged in Hudson River crash; engaged couple on board

Authorities in Piermont, New York,
believe that they have recovered the
body of Mark Lennon, the second
victim of a boating accident involving a
wedding party on the Hudson River,
Sheriff Louis Falco told reporters
Sunday. Lennon was the best man in
the group.
The path that led Lindsey Stewart and
Brian Bond to decide to join their lives
together was as measured and
deliberate as its end was abrupt.
The two had been friends since they
were children living in the suburbs
north of New York City. They went to
the same church. More than three
years ago, the relationship turned
romantic.
Next month, the 30-year-old human
resources manager at an insurance
company in Nyack, and her 36-year-
old beau were to marry at Good
Shepherd Church in Pearl River.
The reception was to be at Torne
Valley Winery in Hillburn.
"She did all the plans herself," her
stepfather, Walter Kosik, told CNN.
"She had everything under control."
On Friday night, Stewart and Bond
and four of their friends dined at a
restaurant, then boarded a 21-foot
Stingray power boat on the Hudson
River for what was to have been a
short ride from the village of Piermont
in Rockland County to Tarrytown.
It was a clear, balmy
night.
The short ride and the couple's long-term plans collided fatally when the boat struck the side of one of three barges that were lashed together at a construction site near the Tappan Zee Bridge, 25 miles north of Manhattan.
The barges, which were being used by a contractor who is building a new bridge, had been anchored in the river since around April, said Robert
Van Cura, undersheriff of the
Rockland County Sheriff's Office.
Stewart was thrown from the boat, as
was Mark Lennon, who was to have
served as the couple's best man.
Despite suffering serious head
injuries, Bond, Stewart's fiance, called
911 from the boat at 10:41 p.m.,
reporting that it had struck an object
south of the bridge.
Rescuers poured in from around the
area, but to no avail.
At 2:30 a.m. Saturday, the police
showed up at the house belonging to
Stewart's mother and stepfather.
"That's something -- a nightmare -- I
don't wish on any parent, to get that
police coming over your house waking
you out of your sleep to tell you that
an accident has occurred," Kosik said.
A few hours later, a body believed to
be that of Stewart's was discovered
about an eighth of a mile off the
riverbank. The search for Lennon,
which proved fruitless Saturday, was
to resume Sunday morning, but
officials held out little hope he would
be found alive.
"We're always hopeful, but obviously,
at this hour, it's less and less likely that
this would be a rescue as opposed to
a recovery," Van Cura told reporters.
The four who were not thrown from
the boat suffered head injuries and
were taken to area hospitals.
One of them, boat operator Jojo K.
John, 35, was 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, Van Cura said.
More charges are possible, he said.
Van Cura said the operator was not
the registered owner of the boat,
which may have more than one
owner.
Bond was hospitalized at Westchester
Medical Center, said Kosik, who visited
him Saturday. "He was in no condition
to talk."
A spokesman for the medical center
said Bond was in fair condition.
"She's supposed to be married two
weeks from today," said Carol Stewart
about her daughter. "It just can't end
like this."
An investigation has begun. "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," said Tom Sobolik in a telephone
interview 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 on
Friday night and that it appeared 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."