131 Alcohol Containers Found on Boat After Fatal Barnegat Bay Crash, NJ Man Charged
Kevin Wells, 40, faces reckless vessel homicide charges after a July 25 crash on Barnegat Bay killed one passenger. Investigators found 131 alcohol containers aboard and his BAC was 0.12%.
Fatal Barnegat Bay Boat Crash: 131 Alcohol Containers Recovered, Driver Charged
More than 130 cans and bottles of alcohol were recovered from a motorboat involved in a deadly crash on Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, court documents obtained by NY Post Metro reveal.
Kevin Wells, 40, was arrested on Friday and charged with reckless vessel homicide and two counts of assault by vessel while intoxicated or refusing a blood alcohol test. Wells had steered his 32-foot Boston Whaler into a channel marker near the Tunney-Mathis Route 37 bridges on July 25, killing 26-year-old passenger Michael T. Bereheiko and injuring three others.
State police investigators, searching the vessel under a court order on Aug. 4, found 131 alcohol containers — some opened, some unopened — in a cooler and other areas of the boat, an investigating detective wrote in an affidavit. Among the items recovered were multiple unopened cans of Sun Cruiser and Super Lyte mixed vodka drinks, an unopened 30-pack of Michelob Ultra beer, and two bottles of Tito's vodka.
Wells admitted to drinking during the boating trip and had watery, bloodshot eyes when approached by officers after the crash, according to court documents. The Asbury Park Press reported his blood-alcohol content measured 0.12%, above New Jersey's legal operating limit of 0.08%.
According to the affidavit, the group had arrived at B2 Bistro + Bar, a waterfront establishment in Bayville, Berkeley Township, around 8:20 p.m. that evening. Wells consumed four alcoholic beverages during the roughly two-hour dinner, the document alleges, citing security camera footage from the restaurant. The group departed at 10:15 p.m., heading toward Silver Lagoon Drive in Toms River. The crash occurred around 10:40 p.m.
After the impact, Wells brought the boat to a nearby residence in Toms River. The injured passengers were taken to local hospitals. Bereheiko, described as a construction worker, died shortly after. Two 27-year-old men were seriously injured and a 24-year-old woman sustained minor injuries. Wells was detained by a state trooper after failing a series of field sobriety tests at the scene.
Police received Wells' blood test results on Aug. 25 and filed charges three days later. Wells appeared in Superior Court of Ocean County on Tuesday, where a judge ordered his release.
"After evaluating Mr. Wells and considering his military service, his family support, and his ties to the community, the Court determined that he is eligible for release and will appear in court as required to address these charges," his attorney, Tara Breslow-Testa, told NJ.com. Conditions of release include a prohibition on operating a vessel, consuming alcohol, or contacting the victims, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
The July 25 crash was the third fatal boating incident along the Jersey Shore this summer involving a collision with a channel marker allegedly caused by an intoxicated operator. Jennifer Pearson, 59, was charged in connection with the death of her son Gunnar Pearson, 28, following an allegedly intoxicated boating crash on Memorial Day. On July 19, Stephen Schneider, 64, was charged after two of his grandchildren died in a separate crash on Barnegat Bay while he was allegedly driving the vessel drunk, police said.
Source: NY Post Metro