Captain Jerry Boylan, the captain of a scuba dive boat that caught fire off California’s coast in 2019, has been sentenced to four years in prison for criminal negligence after 34 people died in the blaze. The fire is considered the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history and led to changes in maritime regulations, congressional reform, and ongoing lawsuits. Boylan was found guilty of misconduct or neglect of a ship officer, a pre-Civil War statute known as seaman’s manslaughter, which is designed to hold captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters.
Boylan’s appeal is still ongoing, but he faced up to 10 years behind bars. His defense had requested a five-year probationary sentence, with three years of house arrest. Boylan’s attorneys emphasized in their sentencing memo that Boylan did not intend for anyone to die and expressed significant grief, remorse, and trauma as a result of the incident. The fire occurred on the final day of a three-day excursion off Santa Cruz Island, resulting in the deaths of 33 passengers and a crew member who were trapped below deck. Boylan was the first to abandon ship and jump overboard, along with four crew members who also survived.
The prosecution against Boylan lasted nearly five years and has frustrated the victims’ families. A grand jury initially indicted Boylan on 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter, potentially leading to 340 years behind bars. However, the indictment was later dismissed by a U.S. District Judge in 2022 due to a lack of specification of gross negligence in Boylan’s actions. The cause of the blaze aboard the Conception remains undetermined, but the prosecution and defense attempted to assign blame during the trial. The prosecution blamed Boylan for failing to have a roving night watch and inadequate crew training, while Boylan’s attorneys shifted blame to the boat’s owners for a lack of firefighting training and safety measures.
With the conclusion of the criminal case, attention has turned to ongoing lawsuits, including a suit filed by Truth Aquatics Inc., the company that operated the Conception, under a pre-Civil War provision that limits its liability to the value of the remains of the boat. The owners of the company are required to prove they were not at fault for the incident. Additionally, victims’ families have filed lawsuits against the Coast Guard for alleged lax enforcement of the roving watch requirement. The owners of Truth Aquatics, the Fritzlers, have not made public statements about the tragedy. Despite the sentencing of Boylan, the legal proceedings surrounding the tragic incident continue as the families of the victims seek justice and accountability.
