One dead, two missing after boat sinks near Alcatraz
In a dramatic scene unfolding near Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay is the focus of an intense search-and-rescue effort following the tragic capsizing and fire of a three-deck pontoon pleasure boat. The incident has resulted in one fatality and left two others unaccounted for.
A former reserve deputy sheriff from California, part of an extended family’s tragic outing, has been identified as the sole fatality from the accident. The vessel overturned in the cold waters of San Francisco Bay just off Alcatraz Island, with family members aboard.
Clifford Joseph Boisa, aged 79 from Sutter County, tragically lost his life when the three-level recreational vessel went down on Tuesday afternoon. With 20 passengers on board, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Boisa’s past service as a reserve deputy sheriff starting in 1987.
By Wednesday, three individuals were still missing as the U.S. Coast Guard continued its comprehensive search, aided by local agencies across the bay. Meanwhile, sixteen people were brought to safety, with three hospitalized for further care.
The ill-fated voyage involved members of an extended family convened for a poignant memorial service to scatter a loved one’s ashes in San Francisco Bay, according to reports by The New York Times.
Emergency crews rescued survivors after a recreational boat capsized near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday. (KTVU)
San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispin said crews were dispatched at about 3:35 p.m. local time after receiving reports of a vessel fire roughly 600 yards off Alcatraz Island between the former prison and the Golden Gate Bridge.
When first responders arrived, they found no evidence of a fire, but instead discovered the boat had capsized and was already mostly submerged.
Crispin said the San Francisco Police Department’s marine unit found the vessel with only its upper deck above the water. The boat’s engine was still running, and fuel was leaking into the bay.
One person was found in the water, while the remaining occupants were located inside the vessel’s top compartment before rescuers pulled them to safety, he said.
Rescuers pulled people from the water after a recreational boat capsized near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday, leaving one person dead and two missing. (KTVU)
Authorities have not yet determined what caused the boat to sink. However, officials have said strong summer winds and rapidly changing conditions on San Francisco Bay can create dangerous boating conditions.
Commercial fishermen Mike Montoya and Justin Marceline, who rushed to help after the vessel went down, described a frantic rescue as passengers fought to escape.
“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 fishermen told NBC Bay Area. “Some people didn’t even have life vests on and they were drowning.”
The Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department continued searching Wednesday using boats, helicopters, thermal imaging, tide predictions and drift modeling to find the three missing passengers.
San Francisco Fire Department and U.S. Coast Guard crews continue searching San Francisco Bay for three people missing after a recreational boat capsized near Alcatraz Island on July 15, 2026. One person died in the incident. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office told News Media it had no additional information to provide about Boisa. News Media also reached out to the San Francisco Fire Department for additional information.
Officials said the vessel departed from the area near San Francisco’s St. Francis Yacht Club. The cause of the sinking remains under investigation.
Boisa’s family did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for comment.