California boat fire: captain charged with 34 negligent homicides

The captain of a dive boat that burned down in September 2019 off the coast of California, causing the death of 34 people sleeping on board at the time of the tragedy, was officially charged Tuesday, December 1 for each of these homicides by negligence.

Read also: Fatal fire on a boat in California: the crew was sleeping

Jerry Nehl Boylan, 67, captain of the

, was tried by a federal jury

.

As such, he was charged with 34 counts of homicide

, explain in a statement the services of the prosecutor of Central California.

Jerry Boylan is criticized in particular for having failed to establish an active watch on the ship, which is nevertheless compulsory according to the regulations in force, and for not having organized the training and evacuation exercises necessary to deal with any possible fires.

A total of 33 passengers and a crew member were killed in the accidental fire of the 22-meter-long ship, which sank as firefighters still tried to overcome the flames just off Santa Cruz Island , about twenty kilometers from Santa Barbara, its home port.

Five crew members, including Captain Boylan, managed to escape the blaze in time and survived by jumping into a small dinghy.

Read also: At least 20 dead after boat fire in California

“Due to Captain Boylan's alleged breaches of well-known safety rules, what must have been a pleasant dive trip turned into a nightmare when passengers and a crew member found themselves stranded in a room in fire, with no way to escape, ”

Federal Attorney Nick Hanna said.

Jerry Boylan has been charged under a relatively uncommon criminal provision specific to seafarers and the like, which exposes this category to prosecution for negligence resulting in death.

If found guilty, he faces a ten-year prison sentence for each of the 34 homicides he is accused of.