Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 21
Jennifer L. Pearson Charged in Son's Fatal Memorial Day Boat Crash With BAC Up to 0.12
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 21

Jennifer L. Pearson Charged in Son's Fatal Memorial Day Boat Crash With BAC Up to 0.12

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 21

Summary

  • Jennifer L. Pearson, 59, surrendered on Aug. 19 after New Jersey police charged her with death by vessel and four other offenses in a Memorial Day crash that killed her 28-year-old son, Gunnar Pearson.
  • Police say Pearson was drunk at the helm of a 23-foot center-console boat when it struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay near the Brant Beach Yacht Club around 5:45 p.m. on Memorial Day.
  • Court documents cited by NJ101.5 said her blood alcohol level measured between 0.09 and 0.12, above New Jersey's 0.08 legal limit; investigators also reported smelling alcohol and said she admitted having two drinks earlier.
  • Gunnar Pearson was thrown into the water with his girlfriend and later died at a hospital, while four other people were treated for minor injuries.
  • Pearson is being held at the Ocean County Jail, and New Jersey State Police said the fatal crash investigation remains ongoing.

Insights

Did heavy fog or a mother's intoxication truly cause the fatal Barnegat Bay boat crash that killed 28-year-old Gunnar Pearson?
How did a Memorial Day family boat ride turn into a deadly tragedy leaving a mother charged with her own son's death?