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An 18-year-old man has been charged with driving homicide in a June boating crash that killed a student and injured four in Toms River, authorities said Thursday.
Juan Fernandez II also faces homicide and driving charges and obstruction of strict liability, New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said in a joint statement with the prosecutor. from Ocean Bradley Billhimer County, whose office was pursuing the case.
Fernandez was driving a 2014 Bennington pontoon boat in Barnegat Bay when it collided head-on with Intracoastal Waterway Marker # 26 shortly after 1 a.m. on June 13, according to state police.
Corey Molinari, 19, of Whippany, was injured in the crash and airlifted to a local hospital, where he died, police said.
After the sinking, Fernandez sailed to Antiqua Avenue and met with Toms River rescuers, authorities said. He initially claimed there were six people on the boat, but investigators found there were nine occupants, three of whom were released and two who were ejected.
In a statement, state police said a toxicology report of blood taken from Fernandez on the morning of the sinking and other evidence led them to press charges. The authorities did not detail the results of the report.
Fernandez, from Towaco, was arrested in Boonton on Wednesday and sent to Ocean County Jail before a detention hearing, police said. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
Molinari, a 2020 graduate of Whippany Park High School, attended Seton Hall University where he studied economics, according to his obituary. He was remembered as a car enthusiast who loved to play baseball and football.
“Corey loved being on the water and taking care of his boat,” his obituary stated.
He was also a member of the Spartan Powerboat Club on the Jersey Shore.
A state police spokesperson previously said none of the other injuries were considered life threatening.
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Noah Cohen can be reached at [email protected].
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