Captain sentenced to 4 years in prison after scuba dive boat fire that killed 34 people in California
CNN
A former dive boat captain was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday on a negligence conviction known as “seaman’s manslaughter” after 34 people were killed in a fire that broke out on his boat in 2019.
A federal judge sentenced a former dive boat captain on Thursday to four years in prison on a negligence conviction known as “seaman’s manslaughter” after 34 people were killed in a fire that broke out on his boat in 2019. Jerry Nehl Boylan, who faced up to 10 years in prison, was found guilty in 2023 of one federal felony count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer. The fire erupted on the morning of Labor Day, when the boat was anchored near Santa Cruz Island, the largest of California’s Channel Islands, about 25 miles off the mainland. Boylan, 70, was one of five crew members to make it off the 75-foot vessel, The Conception, and the first to abandon ship, according to prosecutors. Thirty-three passengers and one crew member below deck died of smoke inhalation, police said. The victims were sleeping below deck when the fire broke out, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Robert Sumwalt, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board at the time, said it was the deadliest maritime accident in nearly 70 years.
After recent burglaries at homes of professional athletes – including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce – the NFL and NBA have issued security memos to teams and players warning that “organized and skilled groups” are increasingly targeting players’ residences for such crimes.