Prominent powerboat racer Charles "Chip" Romer and passenger Jennifer Luzzi were killed Saturday night in a high-speed boating crash on Lake Havasu in Arizona.
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Romer was 65. Luzzi was 59. Both were residents of Lake Havasu City.
According to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded shortly after 7 p.m. and discovered a 36-foot Douglas Marine boat overturned on land near Cattail Cove State Park.
Investigators believe the boat was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck a large peninsula, became airborne and eventually landed upside down in a boat-in campsite. Romer and Luzzi were found unresponsive near the vessel, and despite lifesaving efforts, both were pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Romer was a major figure in performance boating and a former "King of the Desert" champion at the Desert Storm Poker Run's top-speed shootout. He once piloted his boat Cervesa to 195.4 mph at the event.
He also competed in sports-car racing, winning the Prototype 1 class at the 2022 SCCA National Championship Runoffs.
DCB Performance Marine was among those mourning Romer and Luzzi following the tragedy.
For a community built around going very fast on the water, it was a devastating weekend.
