RedactedNarrative: ON JUNE 19, 2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 01:45 PM, A PONTOON (VESSEL 1) WAS BEING OPERATED NEAR THE NC STATE PARK HIGHWAY 50 BOAT RAMP IN WAKE FOREST, WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. THE VESSEL WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON FALLS LAKE AT SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN IDLE SPEED NEAR THE SHORELINE WITH 10 PASSENGERS ONBOARD. WIND AND BOAT TRAFFIC GENERATED MINOR CHOP IN THE WATER ON THIS DAY. WITH THE VESSEL IN MOTION, A PASSENGER'S HAT FELL INTO THE WATER. A MALE PASSENGER JUMPED OVERBOARD TO GRAB THE HAT. INITIALLY THE PASSENGER WHO JUMPED OVERBOARD SURFACED, BUT THEN WENT BACK UNDERWATER AND DID NOT RESURFACE. THE OPERATOR OF THE VESSEL PLACED THE THROTTLE IN REVERSE BRIEFLY AND FELT A THUMP, WHICH HE THOUGHT MAY HAVE BEEN A STUMP. AN INDIVIDUAL OPERATING A PERSONAL WATERCRAFT NEARBY HEARD THE INDIVIDUALS ON THE BOAT YELLING FOR HELP AND CALLED 911. THE PONTOON BOAT DROPPED A MUSHROOM STYLE ANCHOR IN ORDER TO STAY IN THE LOCATION WHERE THE PASSENGER WENT INTO THE WATER. 
  
  I RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FROM OUR COMMUNICATIONS CENTER AT 13:58 OF A POSSIBLE BOAT INCIDENT AND DROWNING VICTIM. ANOTHER OFFICER (OFFICER 2) AND I PATROLLED TO THE LOCATION AND ARRIVED AT APPROXIMATELY 14:10 WHEN WE ARRIVED, NORTHERN WAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ON SCENE TO SEARCH FOR THE POSSIBLE DROWNING VICTIM. OFFICER AND I ESCORTED THE OCCUPANTS OF THE PONTOON BOAT BACK TO THE HWY 50 BOAT RAMP AND GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT OCCURRED. I OPERATED THE PONTOON BOAT BACK TO THE BOAT RAMP WITH OFFICER 2 FOLLOWING BEHIND. DURING MY OPERATION I NOTICED THE STREERING OF THE VESSEL ALONG WITH THE THROTTLE WERE EXTREMELY STIFF AND HARD TO OPERATE. IN ADDITION, WHILE TRAVELING BETWEEEN 5 TO 7 MILES PER HOUR, WATER WAS ENTERING THE FRONT OF THE VESSEL. THE PASSENGERS ON BOARD STATED THAT HAD BEEN OCCURING SINCE THEY RENTED THE BOAT AT 11:00 EARLIER THAT MORNING. THE OCCUPANTS INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD BEEN OPERATING AT SPEEDS BELOW 5 MILES PER HOUR TO PREVENT WATER FROM COMING IN. I FURTHER NOTICED OPENED MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE BOTTLES IN THE BOAT AND OPEN CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES IN A BLACK BACKPACK NEAR THE OPERATOR'S CONSOLE.
  
  WHEN WE DOCKED THE PONTOON AT HWY 50 BOAT RAMP, WE COLLECTED VERBAL AND WRITTEN STATEMENTS FROM THE PASSENGERS ALONG WITH SEATING DIAGRAMS.THE VESSEL WAS RATED TO HOLD 12 PEOPLE. WHILE SPEAKING WITH THE OPERATOR, OFFICER 2 DID NOT DETECT ANY LEVEL OF IMPAIRMEN, ALTHOUGH THE OPERATOR DID ADMIT TO DRINKING A MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE AROUND 11:00 A.M. THAT MORNING. THE OPERATOR HAD TAKEN A BOATER EDUCATION COURSE THROUGH THE NC WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION. 
  
  WAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, DURHAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, NC STATE PARKS, AND NORTHERN WAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE ALL ON SCENE AT THE HWY 50 BOAT RAMP TO ASSIST WITH THE RECOVERY OPERATION. OUR SUPERVISOR ALSO ARRIVED AT THE HWY 50 BOAT RAMP TO ASSIST WITH THE INVESTIGATION AND THE RECOVERY OPERATIONS. AFTER COLLECTING INFORMATION FROM THE PASSENGERS, WE LEFT THE HWY 50 BOAT RAMP TO MEET THE PWC OPERATOR, WHO INITIALLY CALLED 911, TO RETRIEVE HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT. THE PWC OPERATOR SAID HE DID NOT SEE THE PASSENGER GO INTO THE WATER. HE SAID HE ONLY HEARD SCREAMING FROM THE PONTOON AND SAW PEOPLE WAVING THEIR ARMS. THE PWC OPERATOR PULLED UP TO ASSIST AND CALLED 911 WHILE ADVISING THEM TO DROP ANCHOR. AFTER MAINTAINING A SAFETY BUFFER FOR THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS, WE LEFT THE AREA AROUND 20:30 HOURS ON 06/19/2021. SERGEANT AND OFFICER 2 RETURNED ON THE MORNING OF 06/20/2021 TO ASSIST WITH BOAT TRAFFIC CONTROL UNTIL THE BODY OF THE DROWNING VICTIM WAS RECOVERED THAT MORNING.