Thu Jun 26 09:40:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

A boat capsized on Lake Tahoe on Saturday, June 21, 2025, during a sudden and intense thunderstorm. Eight people died, including four members of the Pickles family who were celebrating a birthday: Josh Pickles, his parents Terry Pickles and Paula Bozinovich, and his uncle, Peter Bayes. The storm brought high winds and large waves that overwhelmed the boat. Two survivors were rescued. The other victims were identified as Timothy O’Leary, Theresa Giullari, James Guck, and Stephen Lindsay. Authorities are conducting searches near D.L. Bliss State Park. The incident is considered one of the deadliest on the lake in recent years.

**News Article:**

**Lake Tahoe Boat Capsizing Kills Eight Amid Sudden Storm**

**Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.**

**SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)** – A fierce thunderstorm that unexpectedly struck Lake Tahoe on Saturday, June 21, 2025, caused a boat to capsize, resulting in the deaths of eight people in one of the deadliest accidents on the lake in recent memory. Authorities continue to search the area near D.L. Bliss State Park.

Among the victims were four members of the Pickles family from Northern California, who were celebrating Paula Bozinovich’s birthday: Josh Pickles, 37, his parents Terry Pickles, 73, and Paula Bozinovich, 71, and his uncle, 72-year-old Peter Bayes. The family released a statement expressing their profound grief. “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,” said Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, Josh Pickles’ wife.

According to officials, ten people were aboard the 27-foot Chris-Craft vessel when the storm rapidly intensified, generating winds exceeding 35 mph and waves surpassing eight feet. “The waves were so big that the water came onboard and started to fill the boat up and stalled the engine,” explained family spokesperson Sam Singer. Two people were rescued immediately after the boat flipped.

The other victims have been identified as 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.

Meteorologists reported the intensity of the storm was unforeseen, with temperatures unusually low for this time of year potentially contributing to the unstable air mass.

Local authorities noted that while accidental deaths occur on Lake Tahoe each year, boating accidents with this many fatalities are rare.

Read More