The skipper behind the boat wreck that killed a prominent New York publisher off the Amalfi Coast was high on coke and drunk at the time — and also distracted by his cell phone before the deadly accident, according to reports.
Elio Persico, 30, faces multiple charges — including culpable manslaughter and negligent injury — in the wreck that killed Adrienne Vaughan, 45, president of “Harry Potter” publisher Bloomsbury USA, La Stampa reported.
Vaughan’s husband, Mike White, has alleged that Persico was distracted by his cell phone on the ill-fated trip.
“He was always on the phone,” White told authorities, according to Il Messaggero.
Prosecutors are reportedly seeking Persico’s phone records as part of the investigation.
Toxicology tests determined that the suspect had consumed alcohol and used cocaine before running the 20-foot speedboat into the side of the 130-foot vessel carrying a group of 80 American and German tourists celebrating a wedding on Thursday, according to Il Messaggero.
The level of intoxication and the amount of drugs in his system were not immediately available but were apparently low, according to local news outlets.
Adrienne Vaughan, 44, president of Bloomsbury USA, right, was killed in a horrific speedboat accident in Italy Thursday. Mike White/Facebook
The speedboat Vaughan’s family of four had chartered plowed into a sailing ship off the Amalfi coast near Naples. Rai Radio1/Twitter
Vaughan was sunning on the bow and fell into the water after the collision, officials said.
People from the sailboat look overboard following the crash.
The couple’s two children were not physically harmed in the crash.
Mike White was injured and required surgery on his collarbone.
Prosecutor Giuseppe Borrelli noted that a consultant is reviewing the findings to determine what impact the drugs and alcohol may have had on Persico’s ability to perform his duties.
The skipper, who suffered cracked ribs and pelvic injuries, remains hospitalized in Salerno’s San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona Hospital.
White also was injured in the wreck and has undergone surgery on his collarbone, while the couple’s children — Leanna, 14, and Mason, 11 — were not physically harmed but treated for shock, according to local reports.
Mike White, Vaughan’s husband, and their children,14-year-old Leanna and 11-year-old Mason, are seen after the crash in which the publishing executive was struck and killed by a propeller. Cobra Team / BACKGRID
The rented speedboat smashed into the 130-foot “Tortuga” sailing ship that was hosting a wedding reception. Cobra Team / BACKGRIDThe kids were placed in the care of the owner of the accommodation their parents rented for the vacation — Villa Giulia in Sant’Agata dei Due Golfi, according to the news outlet.
Their grandfather was expected to arrive from the US to pick them up.
Witnesses have said the speedboat turned suddenly as it was passing the yacht but then collided with the large vessel’s hull, launching Vaughan into the water.
Vaughan’s condition was so grave that a medical helicopter was called in to airlift her, but she died before she could be taken to a hospital. Cobra Team / BACKGRID
Vaughan’s husband suffered injuries requiring surgery, but their children were not physically harmed. Cobra Team / BACKGRIDA dramatic video that shows the motorboat after the collision also suggests that Persico made a mistake by putting it into the reverse after Vaughan and her husband fell off, according to Il Messaggero.
The outlet noted that the woman was struck by the spinning propeller when the boat backed into her.
Footage from the sailboat shows guests dancing when the music suddenly stops.
Less than a day before her death, Vaughan shared photos of her family taken in Rome. Mike White/Facebook“What happened?” one woman asks, as a man responded in horror: “This ship collided with us!”
The passengers then race over to the side of the yacht and see the damaged motorboat next to the hull with the mortally wounded Vaughan in the water.
