4 family members celebrating a birthday are among 8 dead from a boat capsize on Lake Tahoe

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Four members of a family from Northern California who were celebrating a birthday were among eight people killed when a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe in California over the weekend during a sudden and fierce thunderstorm in one of the deadliest accidents on the lake in recent years.

Josh Pickles, 37, of San Francisco, his parents, 73-year-old Terry Pickles and 71-year-old Paula Bozinovich of Redwood City, and his uncle, 72-year-old Peter Bayes, of Lincoln, died Saturday, according to a family statement.

“No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost during what was meant to be a joyful time on the lake,” Josh Pickles’ wife, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, said in the statement Tuesday. “Our hearts go out to those who tragically lost their lives and the two survivors of this unexpected and deadly storm on Lake Tahoe.”

Two people were rescued immediately after the boat flipped over. Their identities and conditions were not known Tuesday.

The group was celebrating Paula Bozinovich’s birthday on her son’s boat, which he bought about a year ago, said Sam Singer, a family spokesperson.

Josh Pickles’ wife had stayed at home taking care of their 7-month-old daughter, Singer said.

The couple, who married in 2023, both worked at tech companies in San Francisco. Josh worked at DoorDash and Jordan at AirBNB, Singer said.

They split their time between homes in the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, where they had used their boat only twice before.

Ravi Inukonda, Chief Financial Officer at DoorDash, said the death of Josh, who had worked at the company for nearly seven years, left them heartbroken.

“Josh loved his team and was an inspiration to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” Inukonda said in a statement. “Our thoughts and love are with his wife, his daughter, his family, and all who were close to him.”

Ten people were on board the 27-foot (8-meter) gold Chris-Craft vessel when it capsized Saturday afternoon near D.L. Bliss State Park on the lake’s southwest edge as the storm whipped up high waves, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

“The waves were so big that the water came onboard and started to fill the boat up and stalled the engine,” Singer said.

Also killed were Timothy O’Leary, 71, of Auburn, California; Theresa Giullari, 66, and James Guck, 69, of Honeyoye, New York; and Stephen Lindsay, 63, of Springwater, New York, the coroner’s office said Tuesday.

The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph (56 kph) and waves swelled up more than 8 feet (2.5 meters).

“We weren’t expecting it to be so strong,” Chyba said Monday. He said temperatures in the area were far below normal for this time of year, which could have contributed to the unstable air mass.

Drowning and other accidental deaths occur each year on the lake but boating accidents with numerous fatalities are rare, said South Lake Tahoe Police Lt. Scott Crivelli.

There are an average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a record 15 fatalities in 2021, he said.

“I can’t remember the last time there were eight dead at once and I have been here 16 years,” Crivelli said.

___

Weber reported from Los Angeles.