MADEIRA BEACH, FL – A New York man has been arrested following a jet ski crash that left two children injured, one critically, on October 12, 2025, near Johns Pass in Madeira Beach, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies say 48-year-old Daniel Patrick Grubert, of Piermont, New York, was operating a rented 2024 Yamaha WaveRunner when he took his eyes off his direction of travel while racing another jet ski. Grubert turned around, saw the impending collision, and jumped off his WaveRunner. The unmanned jet ski crashed into another rented Yamaha operated by 45-year-old Walter Wodzien of Mt. Prospect, Illinois.
Wodzien had two juvenile passengers onboard, ages 7 and 8. All three were ejected from the WaveRunner and rescued by the Madeira Beach Fire Department. The children were transported to a local hospital, one with life-threatening injuries and the other with non-life-threatening injuries. Wodzien was not injured.
Grubert showed signs of impairment and performed poorly on field sobriety tests, according to investigators. He was arrested and charged with two counts of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) Causing Serious Bodily Injury and one count of Reckless Operation of a Vessel. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
