Legendary New Jersey fly-tyer and author of Pop Fleyes, Bob Popovics passed away on Nov. 1 at about 3 a.m. He died from injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle in Seaside Heights, NJ on Sept. 23. The driver fled the scene but was later apprehended. He was 75.
A Facebook post published later that day by the account belonging to the Shady Rest Restaurant in Bayville, NJ, which Popovics owned, confirmed his passing:
“So very sad to announce that Bob passed this morning, Nov 1, around 3am. I will write a better post later, but I wanted to thank all who took the time to go visit him yesterday, and to all who were planning to but didn’t make it. With prayers and thoughts from around the world, he was able to transition peacefully and quickly to his next journey.
Rest easy, Marine. Your watch has ended.”
-Alexis
After the hit-and-run, Popovics was found in the road by police and taken to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune “with ‘severe internal injuries’ and a broken clavicle (collar bone). He required surgery and his condition was listed as critical,” according to an Asbury Park Press story from Sept. 28.
Popovics fought hard to recover, cheered on by his loving family, friends, and others who knew him. Unfortunately, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
A suspect in the collision was later taken into custody, who turned out to be an employee of Popovics’ restaurant, according to authorities, who did not comment further on the coincidence.
POPOVICS’ LEGACY
Popovics is responsible for a revolution in saltwater fly fishing and fly tying. Before Popovics, saltwater fly fishing was the domain of those that could afford trips to the flats of the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and other far-flung locales. Popovics brought it to everyone’s backyard, highlighting the fisheries along the Northeast coastline. His approach made it a pastime for everyman.
Through his written works and in-person teachings, he influenced many anglers and tyers and helped them grow by leaps and bounds. He showed anglers how to build innovative flies out of readily available materials, and how to fish them effectively. The world of saltwater fly fishing is what it is today because of Popovics.
I first met Bob Popovics at a fly fishing show around 2000, where he was promoting his then-newly released book Pop Fleyes. I stood in line to have him sign my copy of the groundbreaking work. I called him “sir” when I greeted him, and he assured me that was too formal. I’ve been a fan ever since, as have untold others. He will be missed.
THE HIT-AND-RUN
On Sept. 23, at about 9:30 p.m., officers from the Seaside Heights Police Department responded to the area of Dupont Avenue and the Boulevard for a report of a man lying in the road, according to a press release from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. The officers found Popovics unresponsive and unconscious.
“An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Seaside Heights Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, determined that a dark-colored sedan was traveling south on the Boulevard when it struck the victim and fled the area,” the release says.
Further investigation revealed to authorities that the operator of the vehicle was Genell Mcinaw, 50, of Seaside Park. She was later taken into custody by Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad at her home without incident and charged with “Knowingly Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury to Another Person.”
“Mcinaw was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where a draw of her blood was obtained pursuant to a court-authorized warrant. Mcinaw was then transported to the Ocean County Jail, where she remains lodged pending a detention hearing,” the release says.
“Mcinaw was employed at the Shady Rest Restaurant on Route 9 in the Bayville section of Berkeley, which is run by Popovics and his family,” reports the Asbury Park Press.
