The captain was found guilty of 'seaman's manslaughter' after the deadly 2019 fire.
Jerry Boylan, a former boat captain in Santa Barbara, was convicted of so-called ‘seaman’s manslaughter’ after abandoning 34 people on his vessel during a fire The captain of a California dive boat was found guilty of ‘seaman’s manslaughter’ after 34 people died in a fire on his vessel in 2019. Jerry Boylan, 69, was found guilty of misconduct or neglect of a ship officer, for the disastrous fire that sparked while his ship was anchored at Santa Cruz Island over four years ago.
Investigators later determined all 34 people died from smoke inhalation. Their bodies were later recovered from the ocean floor. Boylan’s defense attorneys sought to place blame on the ship’s owner, Glen Fritzler, who they claimed created a lax company culture and never provided his crews with firefighting training.