In a summer of closures, Charles Evers said his Bronx marina has been busy, and that it has become especially popular with jet skiers, but he no longer sees NYPD boats patrolling the area and enforcing some of the rules, like returning to shore before nightfall.

What You Need To Know

  • Two Men are dead after two jet skis collide in the Bronx Monday night

  • New York State requirements allow anyone 14 years or older to operate a jet ski as long as they have a boating safety certificate.

  • Investigation is continuing into what caused the crash

"They used to sit here after dark and go after people, but they just don't do it anymore,” Evers said.

Police say that just as the sun was setting Monday, two men on jets skis crashed into one another in the waters near Evers' Marina. 

A boater pulled them from the water and brought them to the marina for medical attention.

"They pulled out one person, I saw him in the ambulance and he looked like he was already dead and the second person, they started giving CPR," said one eye witness.

Luis Lugo, 48, and 22-year-old Jorge Mancebo-Reyes were pronounced dead at the hospital.

Brian Orenstein, the owner of New York Harbor Jet Ski, a rental touring company, said jet skis can become death machines if riders do not keep a proper distance from each other.

"Two miles per hour that ski hits your leg, that leg is broken, that is two,” said Orenstein. “You know, 30, 40, 50 mile per hour, it is a death machine, it can kill you. So yeah, distance is key."

In the recent weeks, Orenstein said his company, as well as other jet ski rental and charter services, have been selling out.

With the pandemic forcing people to seek new forms of recreation, jet skiing has become so popular it is hard to buy one in some parts of the country.

"It is the best source of social distancing," said Orenstein.

New York State requirements allow anyone 14 years or older to operate a jet ski as long as they have a boating safety certificate. 

Orenstein said it is common for riders to want to splash one another, which has proven to be a dangerous maneuver, especially for beginners. 

"They come at another ski to splash them and they end up running right into them because they don't turn on a dime. You need 50 yards ahead of you to slow down without crashing into the back of someone,” Orenstein explained.

The Coast Guard said jet skis are patrolled like any other motorboat and are monitored for safe speed and distance between other vessels.

Police tell NY1 that they are still investigating what led to the fatal crash.