“WE WERE JUST ENJOYING A BOATING TRIP OUT ON THE WATER”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AUTHORITIES SAY A DRIVER WITH A BLOOD-ALCOHOL LEVEL WELL OVER THE LEGAL LIMIT CRASHED HIS VESSEL INTO A CHANNEL MARKER AFTER DRINKING THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH 131 DRINKS ON BOARD… AND HE IS NOW FACING HOMICIDE AND ASSAULT CHARGES AFTER A PASSENGER WAS KILLED.
More than 130 cans and bottles of alcohol were discovered aboard a motorboat involved in a fatal collision last month, according to court documents.
The crash occurred on Barnegat Bay along the Jersey Shore on the night of July 25.
One passenger was killed and three others were injured in the impact.
Kevin Wells, 40, was operating the 32-foot Boston Whaler when it struck a channel marker.
Wells was arrested on Friday following the incident.
He was charged with reckless vessel homicide.
He was also charged with two counts of assault by vessel while intoxicated or refusing a blood alcohol test.
Court records obtained by NJ.com indicate that Wells had consumed alcohol throughout the day.
When law enforcement officers approached him after the crash, Wells had watery and bloodshot eyes.
Wells admitted to drinking alcohol during the course of the boating excursion.
State police obtained a court order to search the vessel on August 4.
During the search, investigators found 131 containers of alcohol onboard, an investigating detective wrote in an affidavit.
The containers were discovered in a cooler as well as other areas of the boat.
Some of the containers were opened, while others remained sealed.
Investigators located countless unopened cans of Sun Cruiser and Super Lyte mixed vodka drinks.
Police also recovered an unopened 30-pack of Michelob Ultra beer.
Two bottles of Tito’s vodka were also found onboard the vessel.
State police received the official results of Wells’ blood test on August 25.
The test showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.12%, according to the Asbury Park Press.
The legal limit for operating a motor vehicle in New Jersey is 0.08%.
Authorities formally charged Wells three days after the blood test results were returned.
Investigative records detail the sequence of events leading up to the deadly collision.
At approximately 8:20 p.m., the group arrived at B2 Bistro + Bar, a waterfront establishment located in Bayville within Berkeley Township.
The party remained at the bistro to dine for approximately two hours.
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Security camera footage from the business shows Wells drinking four alcoholic beverages while there, according to allegations in the affidavit.
The group left the restaurant at 10:15 p.m.
The vessel then headed in the direction of Silver Lagoon Drive in Toms River.
Then, at approximately 10:40 p.m., the Boston Whaler struck a channel marker.
The impact occurred in the water near the Tunney-Mathis Route 37 bridges.
Wells navigated the damaged boat to a nearby residence in Toms River immediately after the collision.
Emergency medical personnel transported the injured victims to area hospitals.
Michael T. Bereheiko, 26, died from his injuries shortly after the crash.
Bereheiko was employed as a construction worker.
Two 27-year-old male passengers suffered serious injuries in the collision.
A 24-year-old female passenger sustained scrapes.
A New Jersey state trooper detained Wells after he failed a series of field sobriety tests at the scene.
On Tuesday morning, Wells appeared in the Superior Court of Ocean County.
A judge ordered that Wells be released from custody.
“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 lawyer, Tara Breslow-Testa, told NJ.com.
The conditions of his release stipulate that Wells must not operate any vessel.
He is also prohibited from consuming alcohol.
The court further ordered that Wells must have no contact with the victims, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office reported.
Yet the July 25 incident was not an isolated event on local waters this year.
The wreck marked the third fatal boat crash on Barnegat Bay this summer involving an allegedly intoxicated operator striking a channel marker.
On Memorial Day, 59-year-old Jennifer Pearson was charged in connection with the death of her 28-year-old son, Gunnar Pearson, following an allegedly intoxicated boating crash.
On July 19, another fatal collision occurred on Barnegat Bay.
Stephen Schneider, 64, was charged after his two grandchildren died in a boat crash while he was allegedly driving drunk, police said.
A passenger died.
Three others were injured.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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