Paramus Man Charged In Fatal Hit-And-Run Boat Crash

PARAMUS, NJ — A borough resident was charged in connection to a fatal hit-and-run boating crash from 2016 that resulted in the death of a man, authorities announced.

Shawn Kelly, 44, was arrested Thursday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes announced. The charges filed against him stem from a boat crash on Sept. 5, 2016.

At about 8:30 p.m., Edwin Lane was driving his boat on Greenwood Lake and returning to the marina after spending the afternoon and evening on the water, Valdes said. Lane's wife, Mary and their friends Robert and Eileen Roon were also on the boat.

The boat was hit from behind as it returned to the marina. The other boat immediately left the scene. Ed Lane and Robert Roon were knocked unconscious and suffered serious head injuries, Valdes sad.

Mary Lane and Eileen Roon's injuries were not life-threatening. They got the boat ashore and called for help.

Ed Lane never recovered from his injuries and he died a few weeks later at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson a few weeks later. Robert Roon was airlifted to the hospital and eventually recovered from his injuries.

Authorities investigated and determined that the boat that Kelly's boat sustained damage consistent with the damage received by Lane's boat, Valdes said, including damage and scratches on the hull, paint transfer under the water line, and damage to the motor and propeller.

Kelly was traveling along the same path that Edwin Lane's boat was when the collision occurred, the prosecutor said. He was alone in the boat. Authorities reconstructed the accident and analyzed the damage to determine that Kelly's boat was the one that hit Lane's boat.

Kelly was charged with leaving the scene of a boating accident resulting in death, death by vessel, leaving the scene of a boating accident resulting in serious bodily injury, assault by vessel. He is scheduled to appear in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court Friday afternoon.

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office asks anyone with additional information about the hit-and-run crash to contact their tips line at tips@passiccountynj.org or call the New Jersey State Police at 609-882-2000.

Email: daniel.hubbard@gmail.com

Photo: Shawn Kelly, 44, of Paramus (Passaic County Prosecutor's Office)