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Family, friends mourn Somerville woman who died after boat crash in Boston Harbor

BOSTON — Friends and family of Jeanica Julce are still in disbelief after learning she was the person who died when a boat crashed in Boston Harbor on Saturday.

“Something you don’t think is ever going to happen at such a young age, you know, so it’s very sad,” said Elva Martinez, one of Julce’s good friends.

The U.S. Coast Guard says all eight people on board fell into the water when the private boat hit some rocks and a day marker around 3 a.m. Saturday near Castle Island.

Seven of them were rescued and taken to hospitals.

“As the hours went by, two hours went by, we realized okay, Jeanica is the one that’s missing, nobody can last that long in the water,” said Lordisha Paul, one of Julce’s good friends.

Several hours later search crews found Julce’s body.

She was 27 years old and grew up in Somerville.

“I mean it was crushing, we’re all looking for answers right now,” said Samuel Ceus, Julce’s cousin.

Ceus said their family is torn up right now, looking for answers as to what happened on that boat and if the driver should be held responsible.

“She’s going to be missed by the entire family and friends that supported her,” said Ceus.

Her friends said Julce was studying finance at UMass Boston and was about to graduate this fall.

She also loved to dance.

“She was going to open her own dance studio to help young girls like herself to just dance and express themselves and just overall be confident,” said Paul.

Those dreams were cut short after this tragic accident.

Now her loved ones hope her memory will live on as they mourn this loss.

“She was very bubbly, she was very vibrant, she had a great personality,” said Martinez. “Every time she came across somebody she made a very big impact a great impression.”

Boston Police are still investigating this boat crash, and so far they have not said whether the driver of this boat would face any charges.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about this boat crash to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at 617-343-4470.

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