Tourist falls off boat near Outer Banks and is discovered dead, NC officials say

A Maryland man died along North Carolina’s Outer Banks while struggling with a tangled anchor, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Scott Matthew Johnson, 44, of Gaithersburg, was on the west side of the barrier islands when he fell into the water, the commission said in a news release.

The incident happened Tuesday, July 22, in the Currituck Sound, and remains under investigation.

“Johnson ... was a passenger of a rental pontoon boat with his fiancée and her family in the Currituck Sound. While attempting to retrieve the anchor it became entangled with grass and mud,” the commission reports.

“In the process of retrieving the anchor, Mr. Johnson experienced a medical emergency and fell overboard. Several individuals from the vessel entered the water and pulled him back into the vessel.”

Lifesaving measures were attempted on the boat, but failed to revive Johnson, officials said.

A cause of death has not been released.

He was wearing a life jacket when he fell into the water, officials said, and “alcohol and drugs are not suspected in contributing to this incident.”

The Currituck Sound is a 153-square mile estuary in northeast North Carolina. It is between the Outer Banks and the mainland and averages 5 to 13 feet in depth, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 7:21 AM with the headline "Tourist falls off boat near Outer Banks and is discovered dead, NC officials say."