Two people are still missing after two boats collided on the San Joaquin River shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, an accident that sent one vessel to the bottom of the water and left one person in critical condition. Search crews worked into the evening before darkness forced them to call it off, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office Dive Team rejoined the Boating Safety Unit Monday to resume the hunt for the missing pair.
According to CBS Sacramento, the collision involved one boat that had all of its occupants accounted for and a second boat carrying three people that overturned and sank. One person from that boat was pulled from the water and flown to a hospital, while another suffered major injuries. The outlet reports that authorities have not released the exact location on the river where the boats collided, nor have they released other details about how the crash happened.
Search Suspended Overnight, Resumed Monday
Crews searched through Sunday evening before suspending operations because of darkness, per the same account. The sheriff's dive team joined the Boating Safety Unit on the water Monday to continue looking for the two people still missing. San Joaquin County's Boating Safety Unit is a dedicated six-person team that patrols more than 700 miles of Delta waterways year-round, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, and its divers regularly deploy for underwater search and recovery work in the Delta's deep, low-visibility channels.
That kind of underwater search is especially difficult on the San Joaquin River, where swift currents and heavy silt can complicate visibility for divers. San Joaquin County contains 55 percent of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, an estuary with more than 1,000 miles of interconnected channels marked by heavy recreational boat traffic, sharp drop-offs, and strong tidal flows, according to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Tidal movement in those channels can shift submerged debris or missing people over long distances, adding another layer of difficulty to recovery efforts.
A River With a History of Capsizings
Sunday's crash is the latest in a string of serious boating incidents on the same stretch of river. Hoodline previously reported that a 76-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition in January 2025 after his boat capsized on the San Joaquin River after striking a large vessel's wake. In May 2024, a 10-foot fishing boat capsized on the river near Lathrop, prompting a multi-agency search that included a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after one boater went missing while another swam to shore, according to CBS News.
Boats registered out of Stockton have also figured into major incidents beyond the Delta. In July 2026, a 49-foot cabin cruiser registered out of Stockton sank in San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island during a memorial service, leaving one person dead and three missing in water exceeding 120 feet deep, as reported by SFGATE.
What State Law Requires of Boat Operators
California law has tightened boater requirements in recent years. As of January 1, 2025, every operator of a motorized recreational vessel on state waterways, regardless of age, must carry a valid California Boater Card issued by the state's Division of Boating and Waterways, a mandate phased in over seven years under Senate Bill 941, per the California Division of Boating and Waterways. Operating without the required card can bring infraction fines starting at $100 for a first offense and rising to $500 for repeat violations, with courts also able to order mandatory safety course completion.
State law also imposes strict reporting rules following serious accidents. Under Harbors and Navigation Code Section 656, boat operators involved in a crash resulting in a missing person, severe injury, or death must submit a written report to the state within 48 hours, with failure to do so punishable by up to $1,000 in fines or six months in jail. It remains unclear whether either boat's operator held a valid California Boater Card, and authorities have not said whether alcohol, speed, or wake played any role in Sunday's collision.
The Sheriff's Office has released no other details about the incident as the search for the two missing people continues. Hoodline will update this story as authorities release more information.
