A 59-year-old New Jersey mother was allegedly drunk at the helm when her boat slammed into a channel marker on Memorial Day, killing her 28-year-old son.
Jennifer L. Pearson, 59, was charged with death by vessel, a second-degree offense; operating a vessel under the influence; reckless operation of a vessel; operating a vessel without a boating safety certificate; and failure to have a proper lookout, according to a New Jersey State Police news release.
On Memorial Day at around 5:45 p.m., Pearson was boating in Barnegat Bay near the Brant Beach Yacht Club in Long Beach when she allegedly smashed her 23-foot center console into the marker, sending her son, Gunnar Pearson, 28, and his girlfriend flying into the water, according to charging documents blood alcohol level registered between .09 and .12, just above the legal limit of .08. Investigators detected the smell of alcohol when she arrived to speak with them, and she told them she had consumed two alcoholic drinks earlier that afternoon.
Pearson is being held at the Ocean County Jail.
According to an fatal crash remains under investigation.