Jack Benjamin faces upgraded charges in fatal boat crash on Great South Bay
More than 18 months after a Farmingville man was killed in a boating crash in the Great South Bay, the longtime friend who was operating the vessel has been charged in his death.
Jack Benjamin, 27, of Farmingville, was arraigned Friday on upgraded charges, including criminally negligent homicide and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, before Judge Bernard Cheng in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip. Benjamin, who pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance, also faces a new charge of operating a vessel while ability impaired by drugs, according to a copy of the felony complaint against him.
Benjamin was operating a 2003 Parker Center console boat on the Great South Bay in Sayville when he crashed into a jetty at 1:23 a.m. on July 5, 2021, causing the death of 25-year-old Nelson Matos, according to the court records.
Suffolk County police detective William Berhalter stated in the felony complaint obtained by Newsday that the upgraded charges were based on a police investigation that includes a written confession from Benjamin, toxicology reports and statements from five additional sources.
The charges state that Benjamin declined a blood test, so investigators obtained a warrant in order to take a sample. Newsday previously reported that court documents stated the blood test was taken more than six hours after the crash. The new charges state he had a blood alcohol content of .06%.
Toxicology reports also showed Benjamin was operating the boat after consuming THC, according to the complaint.
Benjamin and defense attorney William Keahon declined to comment following his brief court appearance Friday, where they waived a reading of the criminal charges.
Following Benjamin’s initial arraignment in July 2021, when he was charged with misdemeanor boating while intoxicated, Keahon called the crash a "tragedy" and said his client and Matos had attended school together beginning in kindergarten.
Matos was a passenger in the boat and not wearing a life jacket when he was thrown overboard when the boat struck a jetty south of Browns River Road, police said at the time.
Benjamin and a female passenger were taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where they were treated for injuries and released. Three other passengers escaped injury, police said.
Benjamin was released on a $100,000 bond following his initial arrest, according to court records.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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