UPDATED: Boat Capsizes on Lake Parsippany

, and were called to the scene of a capsized boat that dumped two people into the waters of Lake Parsippany late Wednesday afternoon. 

Ralph Rosamilia, who heads the Lake Parsippany Sailing Club, and teaches sailing classes, was present for the incident, which took place just after 4:30 p.m. He said that the capsize "was not life-threatening" and not uncommon.

Rosamilia's club is a private organization not connected with the Lake Parsippany Property Owners' Association, said LPPOA President Dan O'Connor. 

He added that Rosamilia is not an employee of the LPPOA.

"This was someone who was inexperienced and absolutely not part of my sailing club," Rosamilia said, who shared that the pair has repeatedly refused to take his class. "He capsized his day sailor—we capsize 'em all the time. He didn't think he could get [the boat] back up, so he started hollering for help."

Rosamilia said he left calling 911 to someone else.

"I wouldn't call them," he said. "This was not life-threatening in any way. All he had to do was go to the back of the boat ... and stand it right up."

But the man piloting the small craft did not know how to right the vessel. Eventually responders were called and they soon arrived to the scene. 

"There were a lot of guys here, a lot of guys," said Rosamilia, adding that the male boater was able to get himself to shore. The other passenger, a woman, received assistance from a nearby LPPOA member to return to terra firma, he said.

"She was totally exhausted," Rosamilia said. "One of my boaters picked her up and brought her here" to the boathouse at 850 Lake Shore Drive.

Asked if the pair had been taken to a local hospital, the boating instructor snorted.

"Why?" he asked. "There was no need."

O'Connor agreed that capsizes are common and that the troubled boaters were not in a life-threatening situation. But he said Rosamilia's refusal to call 911 is not a reflection of LPPOA policy. He insisted that if a boater is in trouble, members do step up to help, as was done in this case.