LONG NECK – DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers are investigating a boating accident that occurred midday Saturday at the entrance to the Pot Nets Bayside community in the Indian River Bay.

Witnesses told investigating officers that a personal watercraft (PWC) returning to Pot Nets Bayside collided with the bow of a pontoon boat leaving Pot Nets Bayside about 11:30 a.m. The impact launched the PWC several feet over the pontoon boat before it came down in the water.

The PWC operator, a 78-year-old male from Phoenix, Ariz., was pronounced dead at the scene. The operator of the pontoon boat, a 56-year-old Wilmington man, was flown to Christina Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. Two passengers on the pontoon boat – a 53-year-old Newark man and a 10-year-old Bridgeville boy – were uninjured.

All names are being withheld pending notification of family members. The accident investigation is active and ongoing, Fish & Wildlife Natural Police said Saturday night.

Media contact: Sgt. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 343

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