A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a passenger who fell off an illegally operated boat near the Toronto Islands in August.
Toronto police responded to a marine rescue call on August 23 at around 12:30 a.m. after a passenger fell into Lake Ontario. The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Nasme Saqqa from Mississauga, was allegedly operating a boat called “Slow Motion” without the necessary commercial license or registration to conduct charter business.
Saqqa was the sole person aboard the boat when he picked up a group of around 16 passengers for a private charter. Authorities later found one passenger’s body in the water. Saqqa was arrested on Tuesday and faces a charge of criminal negligence causing death, though the charge has not yet been tested in court.
Police are reminding the public that commercial vessels must be properly registered, and they urge anyone with information about the incident or the vessel to come forward or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.