A 59-year-old woman from New Jersey has been charged with multiple offenses after her boat collided with a channel marker on Memorial Day, killing her 28-year-old son.
According to a New Jersey State Police news release, Jennifer L. Pearson was allegedly operating her 23-foot center console boat under the influence of alcohol when it struck the marker in Barnegat Bay, near the Brant Beach Yacht Club in Long Beach. Her son, Gunnar Pearson, and his girlfriend were thrown into the water in the incident.
Gunnar Pearson was taken to a hospital and later died from his injuries. Four other people were hospitalized with minor injuries. Pearson voluntarily surrendered to the New Jersey State Police on August 19.
Court documents obtained by investigators indicate that Pearson's blood alcohol level was between .09 and .12, just above the legal limit of .08. She had reportedly told police that she had consumed two alcoholic drinks earlier that afternoon.
Pearson is being held at the Ocean County Jail, charged with death by vessel, operating a vessel under the influence, reckless operation of a vessel, operating a vessel without a boating safety certificate, and failure to have a proper lookout. The fatal crash remains under investigation by police.
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