'Shark Tank' Star Kevin O'Leary Involved in Fatal Boat Crash That Left Two People Dead

By Amanda Thomason August 28, 2019 at 1:22pm

On Saturday, Aug. 24, celebrity judge Kevin O’Leary — known for his appearances on “Shark Tank” — his wife and at least one other person were out for a boat ride on Lake Joseph in Seguin Township, Ontario.

At some point around 11:30 p.m., the O’Leary’s boat and a larger boat collided. The bigger, 13-passenger boat was out for an evening of stargazing and enjoying a fireworks display.

According to TMZ, the smaller craft launched over the larger craft’s bow, hitting a passenger in the head and killing him. A source maintained that the people on the larger boat could see Mr. and Mrs. O’Leary on the smaller boat.

Both the larger boat’s source and O’Leary’s representative claim the other boat was the first to flee the scene of the accident, but police are currently investigating the incident, especially because of its fatal nature.

The man who died instantly was a 64-year-old resident of Florida named Gary Poltash.

Susanne Brito, 48, from Canada, was also seriously injured and was taken to the hospital with significant brain damage. On Aug. 27, she passed away.

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Three other passengers were injured but are in stable condition.

O’Leary is saying that the other boat didn’t have its lights on, making it impossible to see in the dark.

“Late Saturday night I was a passenger in a boat that had a tragic collision with another craft that had no navigation lights on and then fled the scene of the accident,” he said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I am fully cooperating with authorities.”

O’Leary’s representative also said that Linda O’Leary — who was driving the boat at the time — was immediately tested for drugs and alcohol and found to be clean.

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“Out of respect for the families who have lost loved ones and to fully support the ongoing investigation, I feel it is inappropriate to make further comments at this time,” O’Leary added. “My thoughts are with all the families affected.”

Detective Inspector Martin Graham is on the case and is reaching out to anyone who might have seen the crash on Saturday night.

“Obviously, bearing in mind one person has lost their life … it requires a complete investigation to determine the facts surrounding how this came about,” he said, according to My Muskoka Now.

“If anybody, specifically anybody that was out on the beautiful Saturday night, if they were out overlooking Lake Joseph around 11:30, if they saw or heard anything, the police would welcome them to call us.”

Now O’Leary is allegedly trying to get his hands on a video that may have been recorded of that section of the lake during the time of the accident. He reportedly hopes that video proof will be able to show that the larger boat’s navigation lights were indeed turned off at the time of impact.

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