Man charged in boating crash that killed 79-year-old woman in Atlantic City
Norma Michaels was swimming in the Intercoastal Waterway on Aug. 12 when she was fatally struck by a boat propeller in a vessel Jeffrey Jastrzembski was operating.
A 53-year-old man is facing charges for allegedly being under the influence during a boating crash that killed a 79-year-old Philadelphia woman last August in Atlantic City.
Jeffrey Jastrzembski, of Atlantic City, was arrested last week and charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter for the Aug. 11 case on the Intercoastal Waterway near the Albany Avenue Bridge that killed Norma Michaels.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office alleges that Jastrzembski “accelerated the boat he was operating forward at a high rate of speed in the direction of the docks and made an aggressive turn port side, causing the boat’s propeller to strike and kill Norma Michaels.”
The investigation determined that Jastrzembski allegedly had a blood-alcohol level between 0.19% and 0.23% at the time of the crash.
Under New Jersey law, a person with a blood-alcohol level at 0.08 or higher is legally under the influence.
Jastrzembski could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Michaels was swimming near a residential dock by her Shore house in Chelsea Heights when she was struck by the 20-foot boat.
Michaels, who grew up in Overbrook, ran a talent booking agency called Norma Michaels Entertainment, which had clients including the Phillies and Eagles organizations.
The business ceased operations following her death.