1 dead, 3 injured in Barnegat Bay boat crash, state police say

TOMS RIVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Ocean County) — A Somerset County man was killed and two other Somerset County residents were seriously injured after a boat struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay Saturday night, according to the New Jersey State Police. Troopers responded at approximately 10:56 p.m. July 25 to a report of a serious vessel crash in the Intracoastal Waterway in Toms River Township, Ocean County, State Police spokesperson Trooper II Christopher Postorino said. A preliminary investigation found that a 32-foot Boston Whaler was traveling through the Intracoastal Waterway when it struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker. Following the collision, the operator, Kevin Wells, 39, of Warren, Somerset County, drove the vessel to a residence on Silver Lagoon Drive in Toms River Township, where emergency personnel responded to render aid, according to State Police. Michael T. Bereheiko, 26, of Green Brook, was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Steven Pochick, 27, of Green Brook, and Nicholas Cherasaro, 27, of North Plainfield, sustained serious injuries and were transported to an area hospital, police said. Sarah Stulh, 24, of Bayville, sustained minor injuries. The vessel crash remains under investigation, and no additional information was immediately available, Postorino said.