New York man faces 18 counts in Hudson River boat-crash deaths

The driver of a boat that crashed in New York City, killing a man and a bride-to-be, faces numerous charges, including vehicular manslaughter, officials said. JoJo John, 35, was charged in an 18-count indictment unsealed Thursday, CNN reported. John, of Nyack, was driving the 19-foot Stingray powerboat July 26 when it crashed into a barge in the Hudson River, killing Lindsey Stewart, 30, and her husband-to-be's best man, Mark Lennon, 35. The groom-to-be, Brian Bond, was injured in the accident. Stewart and Lennon were set to be married two weeks later. John's blood alcohol level was found to be 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08, and "cocaine metabolites" were also found in his system, the indictment said. "The defendant is accused of taking the helm of his boat while under the influence of alcohol, being unable to maintain situational awareness and striking a construction barge," Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe said. "Drinking and driving is a lethal mix, as it appears to have been in this incident, which left several families shattered. My office will aggressively prosecute this case to ensure that justice is done." The indictment lists these charges against John: two counts of first-degree vehicular manslaughter, four counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, two counts of second-degree manslaughter, two counts of criminally negligent homicide, two counts of first-degree vehicular assault, four counts of second-degree vehicular assault and two counts of operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs.