1 dead after St. Pete boat crash, teens aboard vessel identified
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - One of the teens that was ejected from a boat that crashed in St. Petersburg on Sunday night died, according to officials.
On Sunday around 4:30 p.m., authorities responded to reports of a boating accident near Bayshore Boulevard in St. Pete.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), United States Coast Guard (USCG), St. Petersburg Police Department, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) all responded to the scene.
Two 15-year-old boys, Collin Moorefield and Christian Tharakan were both on the 18-foot vessel when it hit a dock, according to FWC.
PREVIOUS: 2 teenagers injured after being ejected in St. Pete boat crash
The investigation revealed that both boys were thrown into the water.
Jonathan Carlon hopped onto the 2024 18-foot Key West Center Console boat after it crashed the second time, into his seawall four houses away from where the teens were ejected.
"It was like something out of a movie, an unmanned boat going full speed at the seawall," Carlon said. "My immediate concern was I knew my wife and my daughter were outside. My daughter loves going on the dock."
Carlon said he quickly jumped into action and hopped over his fence, onto his seawall. "...off the seawall, into the boat and killed the power, turned the motor off, grabbed the anchor line and lassoed it around the neighbor's dock," he said.
Carlon noticed a cell phone on the boat was still playing music.
"At that point, it was very unclear how many people were on the boat originally," he said.
As the scene began to wrap up, an unknown man showed up.
"The father of one of the kids came into the backyard. We didn't know who he was at the time. He asked if there was anything that he could do," Carlon recalled. "My wife, she was holding my daughter at the time, and she gave me my daughter, and she said, 'I have to give him a hug' and she hugged him, and you could hear them both bawling. It was heartbreaking."
Officials say Tharakan, the operator of the boat, was recovered from the water.
The FWC, PCSO and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue says they searched for Moorefield who was found by a good Samaritan and a St. Petersburg Police Department Officer.
READ: Woman struck, killed by truck while riding electric scooter: Police
The teens were taken to a local hospital, which is where Moorefield died, according to authorities. FWC says Tharakan has non-life threatening injuries.
"We would like to express our condolences to the Moorefield family and ask that the public give the family space during this difficult time," said Major Evan Laskowski, Southwest Regional Commander in a statement. "As a father myself, I can only begin to imagine the pain they are experiencing right now. I want them to know we are thinking and praying for them during this time."
The FWC is leading the active investigation with assistance from St. Petersburg Police Department.
Carlon believes it was a freak accident.
"We see people driving their boats recklessly, doing things that they shouldn't be all the time. This wasn't that. It just seemed like a terrible accident," he shared.
WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:
SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter