8 Killed in Lake Tahoe Boating Accident are Identified
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (June 24, 2025) — A boating excursion turned deadly over the weekend when a powerful and unexpected storm capsized a 27-foot Chris-Craft vessel near D.L. Bliss State Park on the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe, authorities confirmed.
Eight people, ages 37 to 73 years old, including five from California and three from New York, died in the boating accident.
The boat was carrying 10 people when it overturned Saturday, June 21st, amid a fierce thunderstorm that brought winds exceeding 35 mph and waves reaching more than 8 feet, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Forecasters had anticipated light rain, but the severity of the storm shocked meteorologists. “It developed much faster and stronger than expected,” said Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service in Reno. The squall struck the southern portion of the lake around 3 p.m.
Two people were rescued from the water shortly after the incident and treated at the hospital for hypothermia and other injuries, officials said. El Dorado County Sheriff’s officials reported that six victims were recovered later that day, a seventh was found Sunday evening, and the final body was located by divers on Monday afternoon.
Officials have now released the identities of the victims. The tragedy marks one of the deadliest boating accidents in Lake Tahoe’s recent history.
- Paula Bozinovich, 71, of Redwood City, California
- Terry Pickles, 73, of Redwood City, California
- Joshua Antony Pickles, 37, of San Francisco, California
- Peter Bayes, 72, of Lincoln, California
- Timothy O’Leary, 71, of Auburn, California
- Theresa Giullari, 66, of Honeoye, New York
- James Guck, 69, of Honeoye, New York
- Stephen Lindsay, 63, of Springwater, New York
According to People, Joshua Pickles was an executive at DoorDash in San Francisco. His parents, Terry Pickles, and Paula Bozinovich, along with his uncle, Peter Bayes, and several friends, were among those who died in the accident. The outing was organized to celebrate Bozinovich’s birthday, according to Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, widow of Josh Pickles. She was not aboard the boat and stayed home that day with the couple’s 7-month-old daughter.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office released the names of all eight victims.
The incident comes as the boating season gets underway in the Lake Tahoe area. Every summer there are on average six deaths, according to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.
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Source: SLTPD
