Boat Strikes Channel Marker, Killing One Near Toms River, NJ

Toms River Township, NJ (July 27, 2026) – One man died, and two others were seriously injured Saturday night, July 25, after a boat struck a channel marker in the Intracoastal Waterway near Barnegat Bay.

The collision happened around 10:56 p.m., aboard a 32-foot Boston Whaler traveling through the waterway in Toms River Township. The New Jersey State Police and emergency units later responded to a nearby residence on Silver Lagoon Drive, where the vessel had been brought following the crash.

Michael Bereheiko, 26, of Green Brook, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Steven Pochick, 27, and Nicholas Cherasaro, 27, both also of the Green Brook area, suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized. A fourth passenger, Sarah Stulh, 24, of Bayville, sustained minor injuries.

The circumstances surrounding the wreck are still being reviewed, and no further details have been made public at this time. 

We extend our sincere condolences to Michael Bereheiko's family and hope for a full recovery for those who were hurt.

How Boating Accidents in New Jersey Carry Their Own Legal Rules

People injured in a boating accident in Toms River usually assume the same rules apply as a typical car crash, but New Jersey treats recreational vessel incidents somewhat differently, commonly drawing on both state boating statutes and federal maritime principles depending on where the vessel was operating.

When a boating accident results in serious injury or death, families and survivors may face complicated questions about which insurance policies apply, since boat owners aren't always required to carry the same liability coverage that's mandatory for drivers on the road. This can leave injured passengers uncertain about how their medical costs and lost wages will be covered while investigators work to determine what happened.

New Jersey's wrongful death and survival action statutes still apply when a fatality results from a boating accident, which allows a deceased victim's family to pursue compensation for funeral costs, lost financial support, and loss of companionship. 

For those seriously hurt, comparative negligence principles come into play as well, in which a person's own actions on the water could factor into how a claim is ultimately valued. Sorting through these overlapping rules is often where a wrongful death lawyer becomes useful, particularly in identifying every applicable insurance policy and determining whether state or federal law governs a given claim.

Our team at Metro Law has experience with serious or fatal accident claims, and we can help you understand your options. We can evaluate the available evidence on your case and explain to you what legal avenues may be open for you. 

You can reach Metro Law at (800) 469-6476 to speak directly with our team. We are available to discuss what happened and go over what the next steps might look like.