Five injured in boat hit and run
By Nathan mayberg
SPARTA — A Sparta man was charged with crashing his boat into another vessel on Lake Mohawk over the weekend, and fleeing the scene. Five people were injured in the collision.
Alex Majors, 21, was arrested following an investigation by Sparta police and state police into the incident.
At about 12:51 a.m. on Sunday, a pontoon boat adrift in the middle of the lake with five people aboard, was struck by the boat operated by Majors, according to state police.
The impact of the crash knocked three of the boat's occupants into the water, State Police Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams said.
The victims told police they were struck by a boat with two young men inside.
Two of the victims are the 23-year-old twin daughters of Sparta Police Chief Ernest Reigstad. One of them, Alexa, was airlifted to Morristown Medical Center for a concussion, a laceration to the head and for nearly drowning, Sparta Police Lt. John Beebe said. The other sister, Brianna, was transported to Morristown Medical Center for trauma and a contusion and released.
None of the injuries to the five victims were life-threatening, Williams said.
Some of the victims refused medical attention for their injuries, Williams said.
The next day, Sparta police and state police searched for the boat and found an 18-foot fiberglass boat with a softball-size hole docked at the Lake Mohawk Country Club.
The boat is registered to Richard Majors, of Sparta.
Police determined that his son, Alex, was responsible for the crash.
He was charged with assault by vessel, leaving the scene of a vessel accident with serious bodily injury and endangering an injured victim.
Majors was remanded to the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility on $10,000 bail, which he posted.
In a statement released by the Sparta Police Department, Chief Reigstad stated he "would like to acknowledge and commend the New Jersey State Police, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Sussex County Sheriff’s Department, members of the Ogdensburg Police Department and the officers under his command for their professionalism. The Chief and his wife Cindy would like to express their profound appreciation to the members of the Sparta Ambulance Squad and the many, many citizens of Sparta for their outpouring of concern, well wishes and prayers for their daughters."