New York

Boat Trip on New Jersey Lake Turns Bloody After Hit-and-Run: Police

Police are searching for the boat operator who slammed into another boat on a New Jersey lake Monday evening, hurting the two couples on the vessel. 

The victims' 18-foot Bayliner boat was on Greenwood Lake in West Milford Township in Passaic County when another vessel -- possibly a ski boat -- hit the back of it, seriously hurting 72-year-old Edwin Lane of West Milford and 76-year-old Robert Roon of Newfoundland, state police say.

Their wives, 74-year-old Mary Lane and 70-year-old Eileen Roon, were also injured but not as seriously, and were able to help their husbands and navigate back to the dock. 

"My husband's unconscious, head back, blood gurgling out. The other gentleman, he's out, unconscious," Maureen Lane recounted to NBC 4 New York Tuesday. "The cowling from the motor is in the middle of the aisle, I had to try to move that, climb over it." 

The men were flown to St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson, where they remain in critical condition.

The women were taken by ambulance to the same hospital, where they were treated for their injuries. 

Maureen Lane said the night had been tranquil before it took a bloody turn. 

"It was a beautiful night, calm. Nobody on the lake," she said.

Authorities say the other boat may have gone airborne before speeding off. But no one's certain what hit them or where it went because of the low visibility.  

Police say they believe the boat the couples were in was going the legal limit at 15 mph, with its lights on. Whoever hit them was going much faster than that and never slowed down. 

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information in the hit-and-run, police say. 

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