2 die after boat slams into barge on Ohio River

CINCINNATI — Two off-duty FBI employees were killed when their 19-foot pleasure boat slammed into a 600-foot barge traveling down the Ohio River late Thursday, Cincinnati fire officials said.

The Campbell County Coroner's Office has identified the two men as Bryce Eastlick, 28, and John Stack II, 29.

"It is with great sadness that we advise that two FBI employees were involved in a tragic accident late last night that claimed their lives," said FBI spokesman Todd Lindgren in a prepared statement released early Friday.

It appears the boat crossed "right in front" of the barge just after 11 p.m., Cincinnati District Fire Chief Lou Arnold said.

The barge captain was at the wheel and saw the entire incident, Arnold said.

"He was looking right out the front watching what was going on. It was a big barge," Arnold said. "The (pleasure boat) just crossed right in front of them and slammed into the barge. We can only assume they didn't see it."

The men, who were employees with the Cincinnati FBI office, were found dead on the boat when fire crews arrived. They likely died on or close to impact.

"I don't believe there was any suffering," Arnold said.

As a precaution, first responders searched through the night to make sure no one from the pleasure boat fell into the water.

No other victims were found.

It remains unclear if alcohol is a factor; Arnold said fire officials did not find evidence of alcohol on the boat.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation and could take months. It is being handled by the Cincinnati office of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisville office of the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources.

Those agencies will determine if both vessels were properly lit, operated and if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor, said Lt. Kate Cameron, spokeswoman for Fish & Wildlife.

"We are doing everything we can to figure out what happened," she said.

A preliminary investigation has concluded the barge and towing vessel were heading up the river traveling northeast, but it's not clear which direction the pleasure boat was going.

Barges travel quite slowly, typically 4 to 10 mph, she said.

Fatal crashes like this are rare along the Ohio River, she noted, although a double fatality also occurred earlier this year in northern Mississippi.

"Usually the waterways are pretty safe around here," she said.

Contributing: Cincinnati Enquirer reporter James Pilcher