13-year-old tubing at summer camp dies after being hit by boat, Minnesota cops say

A teenager died during a boating accident at a summer camp in Minnesota, police said.

Benjamin Rennie, a 13-year-old camper at North Central Camp Cherith, was tubing on Lake Six on June 22 when the accident occurred, according to a report from the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office.

After Rennie fell off of an inner tube, a boat operated by a camp employee attempted to pick him up, police said.

But the employee accidentally struck Rennie with the boat, causing him serious injury, police said.

Life-saving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

An investigation into the incident remains ongoing, but police do not anticipate criminal charges being filed.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you a tragedy that occurred at North Central Camp Cherith this afternoon,” Kendra Mohn, the camp’s executive director, said in a statement. “Please pray for this camper’s family and all those grieving after the accident.”

North Central Camp Cherith is a Christian summer camp in Frazee that can accommodate over 100 campers per week, according to its website.

Frazee is located about 200 miles northwest of St. Paul.

This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 6:33 PM.