Man dies after falling off boat and his friend is under arrest, Minnesota police say

A man is dead and his friend is under arrest after a boating accident in Minnesota on Friday.

According to investigators, a group of men were on a pontoon boat at Big Sandy Lake when one fell off the front as the boat was moving forward, KMSP reported, and he couldn’t be found. The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office responded before midnight and began searching for the missing man, 34-year-old Nathen Waldo, according to the TV station.

Witnesses told police that Waldo was swept up underneath the moving boat, WCCO reported, and then struck by the engine.

Rescue crews, police and firefighters searched the lake extensively, but saw no sign of Waldo for hours, radio station WDIO reported. His body was recovered Saturday afternoon, found in roughly 30 feet of water.

Police arrested the driver of the boat, Joshua Mark Harvey, 34, on charges of boating while intoxicated, according to WDIO.

The Aitkin County Attorney’s Office is determining if there is probable cause to charge him with criminal vehicular operation, the outlet reported.

This story was originally published June 13, 2021 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Man dies after falling off boat and his friend is under arrest, Minnesota police say."