A three-deck pontoon pleasure boat carrying 20 members of an extended family capsized and caught fire near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday afternoon, July 15, 2026. Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County and a former California reserve deputy sheriff, died in the incident.

The Sutter County Sheriff's Office confirmed Boisa had served as a reserve deputy sheriff since 1987. The passengers were gathered for a memorial service that included scattering a loved one's ashes in the bay, according to The New York Times.

San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispin reported that emergency crews were dispatched around 3:35 p.m. local time after receiving reports of a vessel fire approximately 600 yards off Alcatraz Island, between the former prison and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Survivors were rescued, but the Coast Guard and local agencies continue an extensive search for three people still missing in the frigid waters. Witnesses noted that some passengers were not wearing life vests and were drowning. One described, "There was even people banging at the windows as they were like filing out, and as soon as people were hitting the water, we were just trying to pick them up as fast as we can."

The search and rescue operation remains active as authorities work to locate the missing individuals.

Sources