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NEW CITY – The man who was driving a speedboat that slammed into a construction barge near the site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge construction in the Hudson River at Piermont was sentenced Tuesday in Rockland County Court to two years in the Rockland County Jail. Jojo John, 26, of 37G Gail Drive in Nyack pled guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of a bride-to-be and her fiancé’s best man. John was operating the boat at a high rate of speed in near-zero visibility late at night on July 26, 2013. The impact of the crash threw Lindsey Stewart of Piermont and Mark Lennon of Pearl River into the river, resulting in their deaths.



The investigation revealed John was aware of the location of the barge having maneuvered his vessel past it earlier in the day and discussed its location with a passenger.



John and four others on the boat were seriously injured in the crash.



John was found to have a blood alcohol level of over .15 at the time of the incident. Cocaine metabolites were also found in his system. “He has now been held accountable for his crimes and will serve two years in jail, giving him time to reflect on his thoughtless actions,” said Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe.



Executive Assistant DA Stephen Moore prosecuted the case.

