Daniel Patrick Grubert mugshot. Credit: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
MADEIRA BEACH, Florida – A 48-year-old man from New York has been arrested following a jet ski collision near Johns Pass that seriously injured two young children, authorities said.
The incident occurred on October 12, 2025, at approximately 2:33 p.m., when Daniel Patrick Grubert, of Piermont, New York, was operating a rented 2024 Yamaha WaveRunner.
According to investigators from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT), Grubert was racing another jet ski and failed to keep a proper lookout ahead.
He reportedly turned around, noticed an impending crash, and jumped off his vessel, which then collided with another rented Yamaha WaveRunner driven by 45-year-old Walter Wodzien of Mt. Prospect, Illinois.
Wodzien had two juvenile passengers on board at the time—a 7-year-old and an 8-year-old. All three were ejected into the water upon impact and were rescued by the Madeira Beach Fire Department.
The children were transported to a local hospital, with one suffering life-threatening injuries and the other sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Wodzien was unharmed.
Investigators noted that Grubert displayed signs of impairment and performed poorly on field sobriety tests conducted at the scene.
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.
Grubert, born January 11, 1977, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
Wodzien was not cited in the incident.
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