Captain convicted of 'seaman's manslaughter' after abandoning ship while 34 people aboard died in fire

A federal jury has convicted a California man of criminal negligence after 34 people died in a horrific fire aboard the boat he captained several years ago.

Over Labor Day weekend 2019, 33 passengers and six crew members boarded the Conception, a 75-foot vessel, and headed out for a three-day scuba diving excursion off the coast of California. The passengers, ranging in age from 16 to 62, included a data scientist, a father-daughter team, and a family of five.

In the pre-dawn hours of September 2, the final night of the trip, a fire broke out and spread quickly.

Jerry Boylan, the 69-year-old captain from Santa Barbara, managed to save himself by jumping overboard along with four other crew members. Those five were then rescued by a nearby boat, the Grape Escape.

Meanwhile, the 33 passengers and one other crew member remained trapped below deck. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Boylan did not provide a roving night patrolman that night, never utilized the public address system to warn people about the fire, and made no attempts to fight the fire or rescue those in need of assistance.

In fact, Captain Boylan, who was not injured in the incident, was "the first crewmember to abandon ship even though 33 passengers and one crewmember were still alive ... in the vessel’s bunkroom," the press release said. Boylan's public defenders countered in court that Boylan abandoned the vessel only after determining that his death was otherwise imminent.

On Monday, a federal jury found Boylan guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer, a pre-Civil War federal statute commonly referred to as "seaman's manslaughter." He faces up to 10 years in prison and will be sentenced in February.

"This ship captain’s unpardonable cowardice led to the deaths of 34 lives on Labor Day 2019," said United States attorney Martin Estrada. "As the jury found, this tragedy could have been avoided had Mr. Boylan simply performed the duties he was entrusted to carry out. We hope that today’s verdict brings some solace and closure to the victims’ loved ones."

Boylan's attorneys did not comment after the verdict.

Boylan is the only person who has been charged in connection with the Conception fire, the deadliest U.S. maritime disaster in recent memory, according to reports. However, some have begun speculating that charges may be coming as well for Glen Fritzler and his wife, the owners of Truth Aquatics Inc., which operates the Conception and two other vessels.

Just days after the fire, the Fritzlers filed a lawsuit that will allow them to limit their liability to the remains of the boat alone, so long as they can prove that they were not at fault for the loss. Famous ship owners in the past, including those who owned the Titanic, filed similar lawsuits under this same provision, the AP reported.

That lawsuit and several other lawsuits filed by victims' family members in connection to the fire remain pending. The cause of the fire has never been officially determined.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!