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Man arrested in Lake Mohawk boat hit-and-run

Michael Izzo
@MIzzoDR

SPARTA – A 23-year-old township man was charged in a hit-and-run boating accident on Lake Mohawk after he was identified by victims of the collision in a photo lineup, police said.

State Police responded to a report of a vessel hit-and-run on Lake Mohawk at about 12:51 a.m. Sunday, Sgt. First Class Greg Williams said. The State Police Marine Services Bureau has jurisdiction over Lake Mohawk, but Sparta Police also responded.

Police arrived at Lake Mohawk to find a pontoon boat adrift in the middle of the lake, with five Sparta 23-year-olds on board, Williams said.

They told police a white male between his late teens or early 20s struck the pontoon on the starboard side, ejecting three of them from the boat.

All five reported injuries, but two – James Glasson and Alexa Reigstad – were taken to Morristown Medical Center to be treated for concussions.

The other three, Brianna Reigstad, Ian Campbell, and James Carney, all suffered less serious injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.

State Police worked with Sparta police to search for suspect vessels and eventually found a 2014 white fiberglass Nautilus boat, 18 feet long with a blue stripe, at the Lake Mohawk Country Club dock.

The boat had a “softball sized hole” in it and fresh damage consistent with a collision, Williams said.

Police interviewed the boat’s owner, Richard Majors, who denied knowledge of the incident, but said his 23-year-old son Alex was using the boat the previous evening.

Alex Majors told police “I made a mistake” before asking for a lawyer, Williams said.

While waiting for a search warrant for the boat, Alex Majors also told a patrolman the collision was his fault, Williams said.

A warrant was secured and the boat was taken to the State Police Totowa station, where the State Police Crime Scene Unit searched it, Williams said.

Two of the five passengers of the pontoon boat, who said they saw victim at the time of the collision, positively identified Alex Majors out of a photo lineup created by the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office, Williams said.

After an investigation, Alex Majors was charged with five counts of endangering an injured victim by leaving the scene of a vessel accident with serious injuries, one count of assault by vessel in the fourth degree, and four counts of disorderly assault by vessel.

Alex Majors turned himself in Sunday afternoon and he was arrested and lodged in the Sussex County Jail on $10,000 bail.

There were no additional suspects listed in the police report and there was no indication drugs or alcohol was a factor in the collision, Williams said.

The collision remained under investigation Monday afternoon.

Glasson has been treated and released from Morristown Medical Center. Alexa Reigstad remains in the hospital in good condition Monday afternoon.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com