The captain of a scuba boat that caught fire and burned into the water, resulting in the deaths of 34 people, has been charged with 34 counts of manslaughter. Jerry Boylan, 67, was skipper of the anchored Conception when it caught fire early in the morning of Sept. 2, 2019 near Santa Barbara. Boylan and four crew members, who were sleeping above deck, jumped to safety, but all 33 passengers and one crew member below deck died from smoke inhalation. Boylan “was responsible for the safety and security of the vessel, its crew, and its passengers,” the Justice Department said in a press release. But he did a poor job with that responsibility, failing to appoint a night watchman, conduct fire drills or train his staff, investigators found. A watchman is required under federal law, and the lack of one allowed the fire to spread without anyone raising the alarm, which prevented any chance at later escape and directly led to the high death toll, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Mother of deceased Instagram influencer Alexis Sharkey suspects murder ‘He was going to make a house over there’: NYC car crash victim had plans to join girlfriend, 1-year-old daughter for Dominican Republic getaway Mother suspected of locking up son for 28 years inside filthy apartment in Sweden The NTSB investigated the disaster and found that the boat’s owner, Glen Fritzler, and his company Truth Aquatics were at fault. But the NTSB has no law enforcement power, so criminal charges were in the hands of the federal grand jury that indicted Boylan on Tuesday. Boylan is formally charged with 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter under a pre-Civil War law that was designed to hold captains accountable when such maritime disasters were more common. The feds expect him to surrender “in the coming weeks.” Investigators said that the devastation of the fire and subsequent sinking of the Conception made it impossible to determine exactly how the blaze started. They suspect it was caused by lithium cellphone batteries charging toward the back of the ship. If people attempted to flee, both of the Conception’s below deck escape routes led to the same room, which was blocked by the raging fire, NTSB investigators said. Additionally, the boat didn’t have smoke alarms in all indoor areas, allowing passengers to sleep peacefully below deck while the fire started above. The families of 32 victims have also filed a lawsuit against Fritzler and Truth Aquatics. Recommended on Daily News
