Boat crash kills woman swimming off the coast of Atlantic City
The incident occurred Saturday, when a boat struck Norma Michaels, a 79-year-old Philly talent agent, who was swimming near a dock.
A boat struck and killed a 79-year-old woman who was swimming near the coast of Atlantic City over the weekend.
Marine Service Bureau officials told 6ABC that the crash happened in the Intracoastal Waterway near the Albany Avenue Bridge just after 5 p.m. Saturday, when a 20-foot Robalo boat struck Norma Michaels, of Washington Square West, who was swimming near a residential dock by her Shore house in Chelsea Heights.
The boat’s operator was Jeffrey Jastrzembski, 52, of Atlantic City. Officials said he remained at the scene and did not report any injuries from the crash.
The incident remains under investigation. Authorities have not said if Jastrzembski would face charges.
Hope Cohen, one of Michaels’ three daughters and the chef and television personality behind CravePhilly videos, described Michaels as “a single mother, businesswoman powerhouse.”
“She did whatever necessary to take care of us,” Cohen said.
Michaels was raised in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia and worked as a dental assistant and auxiliary police officer with the Tredyffrin Township Police Department while she grew the business of her late husband Howard Michaels’ public relations firm, which she took over in 1975.
Now called Norma Michaels Entertainment, the firm grew into a talent booking agency with clients that include the Phillies and Eagles organizations, the Manayunk Bike Race, and Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, among others. Michaels was still booking acts, her daughter said.
“There was no ego about her,” said Ella Cohen, one of Michaels’ granddaughters. “Norma knew everyone’s name — every doorman, every bartender, every parking attendant.”
Michaels was a regular at Dirty Frank’s, the institution at 13th and Pine Streets, where she’d sit at the bar and order one of two drinks: a vodka martini or a Dewar’s with soda water and a twist of lime.
Ella Cohen described Michaels as the kind of grandmother who was up for anything that would make the family happy: On a recent vacation to Capri, Italy, Michaels was the star of a Mamma Mia! parody directed by her grandchildren.
“She wanted to get it perfect,” Ella said, recalling Michaels obsessively practicing the choreography. “That video was one of her prized possessions.”
Michaels was “like sunshine,” said Hope Cohen.