The pilot of the boat, Jojo John, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and police said they suspect he was intoxicated.
But Stewart’s and Lennon’s parents suggested that poor lighting on the barge and not drunkenness was responsible for the crash.
A family member of the owners of the Tappan Zee Marina, where the boat had departed from, are in favor of the memorial and boaters in Piermont said the light would pierce the nighttime blackness that falls like a curtain just offshore, WCBS 880’s Paul Murnane reported.
“It’s pitch black and if there were no lights on the boat, especially in the boat, it’s dangerous,” one man said.
“It’s very dark and you can’t see what’s going on and the river can be very rough,” one woman said.
“I’m all in favor of it,” another woman said. “As a sailor, I totally endorse the need for some illumination.”
Stewart’s mother, Carol Stewart-Kosik, and Lennon’s brother, Raymond, tell The Journal News they’re planning a web page to promote the lighthouse fundraising effort.
Stewart-Kosik said this week will be hell for the families because Stewart and Bond were to be wed this Saturday.
Now, Stewart-Kosik says, “we’re just going to surround ourselves with family.”
