A warm summer night out on the water turned into an absolute nightmare for a group of friends when a boat ride along Barnegat Bay ended in a tragic crash. Michael T. Bereheiko, a 26-year-old Green Brook resident, lost his life late Saturday night after the vessel he was riding in slammed directly into a channel marker.
It was around 10:56 p.m. when the 32-foot Boston Whaler hit the thick wooden marker along the Intracoastal Waterway. The sudden impact shook the entire boat, throwing passengers around and turning a quiet late-night cruise into a desperate struggle for survival.
Michael suffered severe injuries during the violent collision. Emergency crews rushed to help as soon as the damaged vessel made it to shore, transporting him straight to a nearby hospital. Despite the best efforts of medical personnel, Michael succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
Back home in Green Brook, news of Michael’s passing hit loved ones like a brick wall. Friends and family remember him as a vibrant young man with a huge heart, someone whose presence lit up every room he walked into. His sudden loss leaves an empty space that words simply cannot fill.
Three other passengers aboard the boat were also hurt in the collision. Two 27-year-old men, Steven Pochick of Green Brook and Nicholas Cherasaro of North Plainfield, suffered serious injuries and required immediate hospitalization. A 24-year-old woman, Sarah Stulh of Bayville, sustained minor injuries during the crash.
The boat’s operator, 39-year-old Kevin Wells of Warren, managed to steer the battered powerboat away from the crash site to a residential dock on Silver Lagoon Drive in Toms River Township. That is where first responders met the vessel and began treating the injured passengers.
As New Jersey State Police continue investigating what caused the powerboat to strike the marker, Michael’s hometown community continues to mourn. Loved ones are leaning on one another, holding tight to memories of a young man whose life ended far too soon on the bay.
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