Drunken Boating Charge Filed in Deadly Crash Off Long Island That Killed Woman, Badly Hurt 3

A 27-year-old woman was killed and three others were seriously injured after their boat crashed off Long Island Sunday night.

Suffolk County police say the 39-foot Cobalt boat struck a bulkhead near the entrance to James Creek in Mattituk just after 9 p.m. Two of the boat passengers were transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center in an ambulance and two had to be airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Kelley Blanchard of Riverhead was later pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.

Frank Distefano, 48, of East Northport was identified as the operator of the vessel and charged with boating while intoxicated. He will be arraigned at a later date, prosecutors said; information on a possible attorney for him wasn’t available.

Nick Soullas, 41, of Jamesport Megan Blanchard, 29, of New Suffolk were the other two injured passengers.