Watercraft collision kills father, 8-year-old son in New Jersey

A father and his 8-year-old son, visiting the Jersey Shore on Independence Day weekend, were killed when their personal watercraft slammed into another watercraft as they rounded a sharp turn, investigators said.

The father and son were visiting Patcong Creek in Somers Point from Maryland, according to police, who said they were investigating the incident Sunday. The water was crowded with boats at the time of the crash Saturday afternoon, witnesses said.

The front of one of the vehicles was smashed open when investigators took it out of the water.

Witnesses told the Press of Atlantic City too many people recklessly zoom through the sharp turn, which may have triggered the crash. Police said it did not appear that alcohol played a role.

The father was sitting behind his son before the crash. Paramedics rushed them to the hospital, but neither survived. Police did not identify the victims.

“It has been very unsettling tonight, knowing what had happened, that we came upon that,” witness Melissa Splendido told KYW-TV. “Thinking about them and thinking about their families and just hoping that everyone is doing okay tonight.”

The other driver, a 55-year-old woman from Egg Harbor Township, suffered a wrist injury.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.