UPDATE: Divers recover body of man reported overboard from ferry Provincetown II in Boston Harbor

BOSTON – The Coast Guard reports they are searching after the ferry Provincetown II reported a man overboard near Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor. The call came in about 8:30 PM Saturday evening. Mass State Police and Boston units are also involved in the search. The vessel returned to its slip in Boston.

Editor’s note: The larger Provincetown II (a non high-speed ferry) is operated by Bay State Cruise Company and is usually used for charters and not the run from Provincetown to Boston and back. An internet posting showed the boat was hosting an end of season “Tropical Boat Party.”

From Mass State Police: We are sad to report that the body of the man who went overboard was recovered off coast of Peddocks Island by MSP divers shortly before 1 a.m., following a joint search by USCG, Environmental Police, and MSP. MSP detectives will conduct death investigation.

Sunday afternoon the victim was identified as Aaron DiBella, 21, of Peabody.

Also Sunday, Bay State Cruise Company issued the following statement about the incident: On September 8th at roughly 8:30pm, a passenger aboard a harbor cruise vessel in Boston Harbor fell in the water after engaging in horseplay aboard the vessel. The passenger tragically did not survive long enough in the water to be rescued by the crew of the vessel.

“The tragic and overwhelming sadness that has swept through all of us; our crew, our staff – everyone associated with our company – has left us without adequate words to express just how sorry we are for the family and friends of the gentleman who went overboard”, said Bay State Cruise Company’s owner Michael Glasfeld. “We had him located and illuminated with the ship’s spot light, the several life rings were within a few feet of him, and a crew member was additionally in the water also within five feet of him to assist.” Despite these efforts, the passenger succumbed and was lost. “The ache we feel for his loved ones, for the gentleman himself, is beyond description. We are all unable to communicate the depth of the sorrow we feel over the incident.”

Minutes before the passenger fell from the vessel, while he engaged in a type of vertical push up from the bulwark of the vessel, a crew member had approached him and told him to climb down from having been sitting atop that same bulwark. Although the passenger initially appropriately responded to the warning of the crew member and climbed back down onto the deck, when the crew member turned to go back into the interior of the vessel, the passenger started in an ever more dramatic form of dangerous play.

“To our passengers we say, we so sincerely regret that your night on the water should be marked by such tragedy. To our crew, we say bless you for your efforts and commitment to your training, and to the family of the lost passenger, there are no words – none – to convey our deepest and most sincere sympathies. We are heartbroken,”



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