Yuma business owner, passenger killed in high-speed boat crash in Lake Havasu

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) - A Yuma business owner and one passenger were killed in a high-speed boat crash on Lake Havasu.

"He had a huge heart, and he paid attention," said Javier Gonzalez, who knew Charles "Chip" Romer, a Yuma business owner who died in the boat crash.

Investigators said Romer, 65, and Jennifer Luzzi, 59, died following a high-speed boat crash on Lake Havasu Saturday night.

The boat slammed into a rocky peninsula, launched through the air and flipped upside down into a remote campsite.

For Gonzalez, the news came as a shock.

"Somebody who made a huge impression on my life. As soon as I found out that he had passed, I just saw the name...I saw Chip, and I saw Romer, and it just instantly hit me. Like, 'Holy crap, man, this definitely hurts,'" Gonzalez expressed.

Gonzalez said he first met Romer in 2013 while working next door at a motorsports store near Romer Beverage of Yuma.

He said Romer quickly became a friend and someone to look up to.

"It is a feeling of sadness, but mainly for me, I was very fortunate to have met him, and I was fortunate to have him as a mentor," Gonzalez shared. "I am into motorcycles and racing. I just happened to be watching one of the races, and a friend of mine had given me a call, saying, 'Hey, man, there was a really bad boat accident in Lake Havasu.'"

Romer Beverage Company leadership said the business will remain open, and memorial service details will be announced later.