The death of young Corey Molinari last Sunday in a boating accident on New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay is sending shockwaves through the Garden State high-performance community. The son of avid New Jersey-based powerboat enthusiasts Robert and Jennifer Molinari, the 19-year-old embraced his family’s passion for speed on the water on and was beloved within the tight-knit group.

A performance-boating fan,19-year-old Corey Molinari (in black shirt) was a knowledgeable and passionate fan and cherished time aboard his family’s 38-foot Cigarette Top Gun. Photo by Tim Sharkey copyright Sharkey Images.

“There is a lot of sorrow in Barnegat Bay right now—the kid was a staple in the community, really knowledgeable, and everyone is heartbroken,” said Del Flores, the founder and president of the Spartan Powerboat Club. “When he was 16, he and his father won a trophy in a (Spartan Powerboat Club) event in their Cigarette 38 Top Gun. His father sent me a picture of Corey hugging the trophy.”

Flores, who was just with Molinari’s parents last Saturday, said that the Spartan Powerboat Club will host a memorial event in his honor sometime later this season.

“His father told me Corey had been boating since he was a baby—his first boat ride was in a car seat,” said Flores. “He used to throttle with his father driving in the Cigarette.

“Rob told me had never been on the boat without Corey,” he added. “Every boat ride he every took in the Cigarette, Corey was with him.”

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