Man testing out boat is killed when it crashes and he’s thrown out, FL cops say

A routine “sea trial” turned deadly when a boater was thrown out of the vessel and landed in the water, according to investigators in Florida.

It happened just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, in Boca Ciega Bay, just west of St. Petersburg, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

“Deputies responded to the area of 9600 Bay Pines Boulevard for a report of an unmanned boat that crashed into Stebbins Island,” the sheriff’s office said. “The boat was on a sea trial and was being operated by 56-year-old Pal Pataki, who was not the owner of the boat. As Pataki was operating the vessel, he was ejected into the water.”

Bay Pines Boulevard is inside the War Memorial Veterans Park, about a 25-mile drive southwest of Tampa, maps show.

Searchers located Pataki and he was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

“The cause of death is under investigation but does not appear suspicious,” the sheriff’s office said. “Impairment does not appear to be a factor in the crash.”

Pataki lived in Clearwater, about a 13-mile drive north of where the boat was found, officials said.

This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Man testing out boat is killed when it crashes and he’s thrown out, FL cops say."