California Boat Captain Jailed For Fire That Killed 34

International News Regarding Jerry Boylan – California Boat Captain Jailed For Fire That Killed 34

The captain of a dive boat has been sentenced to four years in prison after 34 people died in a fire aboard his vessel in California five years ago.

Last year, a jury convicted Jerry Boylan, 69, of one count of “seaman’s manslaughter”. Prosecutors claimed Boylan failed to conduct night patrols or fire drills as required by law.

In one of California’s worst maritime disasters, all 33 passengers and one crew member sleeping below deck were killed. According to prosecutors, the captain and four crew members fled without attempting to help them.

Following a jury’s guilty verdict in Los Angeles last November, US Attorney Martin Estrada stated that the deaths were caused by the ship captain’s “unpardonable cowardice”.

He claimed Boylan failed to carry out his duties by “failing to perform any lifesaving or firefighting activities whatsoever at the time of the fire, even though he was uninjured”.

The fire started in the early hours of September 2, 2019, while the Conception, a commercial scuba diving vessel, was moored in Platt’s Harbour near Santa Cruz Island, south of Santa Barbara. At the time, it was hosting a dive expedition over the Labor Day weekend.

The captain and crew escaped by jumping overboard and swimming to another ship nearby. The crew members told investigators that the flames were too intense to save anyone trapped in the passenger quarters.

A federal judge denied the former captain’s request for a new trial last month.

Five members of a Californian family celebrating their birthday were among those killed in the tragedy.

Michael Quitasol, his daughters Evan, Nicole, and Angela Quitasol, and his wife, Fernisa Sison, were all aboard the Conception when the fire broke out.

Other victims include Kristy Finstad, a marine biologist, physics teacher Scott Chan and his daughter Kendra, and Patricia Beitzinger and Neal Baltz, a couple from Arizona.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, said the captain faced up to ten years in prison.

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