A New Jersey man died and five other people were injured when a boat crashed into a channel marker on Monday, authorities said.
According to New Jersey State Police, Gunnar Pearson, 28, of Barnegat, died after the boat crashed in the Brant Beach section of Long Beach Township, WPVI reported.
The crash occurred at about 5:45 p.m. ET, according to the television station. Investigators said that Pearson and another person were thrown into the water, WCAU reported.
The other person who fell into the water remains in critical condition, according to the television station. Four other people on the vessel suffered minor injuries.
1 dead after boat crashes into channel marker in New Jersey's Barnegat Bay on Memorial Day https://t.co/AQkLcSfXbh
— Gray Hall (@GrayHall6abc) May 26, 2026
Witnesses said the crash happened suddenly.
“We just heard like a really loud bang from it, and we weren’t like positive like what was going on, but we saw people in the water,” witness Ford Hansen told WCAU.
Residents said conditions on the water were foggy when the boat crashed, WABC reported.
“Visibility wasn’t great, though, today, especially around high tide,” Steve Helewa, of Brant Beach, told the television station. “We had some weather coming through, so sometimes you get bogged down behind the fog.”
The damaged boat had damage to its bow, according to WPVI. It was towed from the scene on Tuesday, the television station reported.
Sean Stretch, who was nearby at the time of the crash, said he initially believed no one was on the vessel.
“I thought at first nobody was there, but there was a guy laying down on the floor and he was pretty lifeless,” Stretch told WABC.
An investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
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