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A Texas college student who was onboard the party boat when her 19-year-old friend was allegedly pushed to his death by his girlfriend has revealed harrowing details of the shocking day.
Carly Martin, now 21, was enjoying the day on the 22-foot party boat, along with 11 other students, when Jack Elliott was ‘shoved off’ by his ‘fling’ Delaney Brennan and fell to his death in Travis Lake, northwest of Austin.
Delaney and Jack, 19, were flirting and kissing when she gave him a ‘playful shove’ that left him overboard before hitting a propeller and drowning in the water at around 8.30pm in October 2019.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Carly recalled the shocking incident following the long day of ‘drinking, partying, and dancing’ as the teens dipped in and out of the water on a fellow Texas Christian University student’s family boat.
Carly has revealed the grim details of the horrific ordeal, as the passengers started concocting lies about the fatality that have now left them facing criminal charges.
She claims that ‘everyone’ present on the tragic evening knew Delaney had pushed Jack – who she was flirting with – and said it’s ‘astonishing’ that they kept up the lie for as long as they did.
Carly was standing between the driver looking out towards the passenger seat when she suddenly felt movement beneath her feet, about an hour and a half after sunset.
She recalled screaming, ‘Oh my gosh, what did we hit.’
Carson Neel, the leader of the expedition and boat owner, allegedly responded: ‘Oh my gosh, I think we just hit Jack!’
‘Everyone was in disbelief,’ Carly recalled, while remembering the hysteria that broke out and Delaney repeatedly claiming, ‘I didn’t mean to push him!’
Jack Elliott, 19, a Texas Christian University freshman, was allegedly pushed off a boat while out on a lake near Austin in October 2019. He was struck by the boat’s propeller and died
Carly Martin (pictured), was onboard the boat the day Jack Elliott was allegedly shoved overboard before hitting a propeller and drowning in the water at around 8.30 pm in October 2019
Jack and Delaney (pictured above), both Texas Christian University attendees, were allegedly kissing and flirting when she pushed him off the boat in October 2019. Multiple witnesses, including Carly, either heard Delaney say
Delaney (pictured) and Jack were having a fling – but her ‘playful shove’ left her lover overboard in October 2019. She admitted to feeling ‘guilty’ on social media in the aftermath, but she continues to study at TCU after he died
Pictured: Delaney, far right along with Carly on her immediate right, and Jack on the far right. The photo above was taken days before the tragic incident
Delaney later posted about the incident on social media, she wrote: ‘I’m still messed up from this and my parents are here with me now, but we don’t know much still. I just feel like guilty.
‘And I don’t think I have ever been this sad. I was the last person to touch him.’
Meanwhile, Carly believes that Delaney’s post – where she insisted that she didn’t know what happened to Jack – was a lie.
‘Everyone knew for a fact that she did that,’ Carly said. ‘These kids had so many chances to tell the truth and none of them did.
‘The fact that they made the continuous choice to lie is astonishing.’
After chaos broke out on the boat, the teenage passengers quickly held flashlights facing into the water while Carson went to check the propellers, Carly recalled.
Instantly, one of the male passengers took the role of ‘ringleader’ and started thinking of a cover story as the students attempted to figure out their next moves, Carly told DailyMail.com.
The lies they forged, as they concealed the truth about how Jack ended up underneath the boat, kickstarted years of pain and anguish for his grieving family.
Speaking about the ‘ringleader,’ Carly said: ‘He was really the one trying to cover it up and the one making sure that this did not get out.’
Jack was at the front of the boat with Delaney when he was allegedly pushed off. Seconds later passengers felt a rumbling below their feet – which they assumed to be Jack
Delaney, now 21, has been indicted on a felony charge of tampering with evidence by aiding in the deletion of a cellphone video. She is now facing jail
Eleven of the passengers on the boat scrambled to think about what to do next after Jack fell into the ocean. The passengers aimed flashlights to the water in attempt to find him near the surface
Two days later, some of the group gathered in a hotel room in Fort Worth near Dallas where the teens called Jack’s parents who were grieving at home in California.
Carly says she attended the meeting but quickly left before the rest of the teenagers called the Elliott family.
Meanwhile, Elle Weber, who was also present for the tragedy, did most of the talking, according to the OC Register. She said that the group were sorry for their son’s death and for ‘all the stories you’ve heard.’
In the days and weeks after Jack’s fall, Carly said she tried to go back to school, along with the others who all mostly lived in the same dorm room at TCU.
But while her life stopped – because of the trauma she experience after losing her beloved friend – she claims that everyone else involved just went about their days like nothing had happened.
‘I just remember everyone was doing life like normal, it was like nothing ever happened,’ Carly said.
‘For me, I remember I was within a hole and just watching the world go by like I can’t do anything, so I just had a huge mental breakdown and I ended up leaving for that semester.’
Jack, who was 19 at the time, had been partying and drinking together with 11 other teens on the waters of Lake Travis, a manmade lake, northwest of Austin.
Jack’s family have been fighting for the truth since October 2019
Carly, who is no longer friends with her friends from TCU, slammed them for their ongoing lies. She said that while her life stopped – because of the traumatic loss she experience by losing her beloved friend – she claims that everyone else involved just went about their days like nothing had happened
Carly ended up dropping out of school and returning back to her hometown in Chicago. She lost contact with her friend group at TCU after secretly heading to Jack’s hometown in Orange County, California, to tell his parents the truth of what happened to their son.
She said: ‘I was really scared that if they found out that I went against their story that they were gonna try to f*** me over and make me sound like a liar when I was telling the truth because it really was 10 against one.’
‘That’s another reason I also dropped out of school because I was genuinely terrified,’ Carly said.
When Carly sat down with the Elliott family in December 2019, they were still in ‘shock’ over their son’s death – but she said they knew that there was more about the night that the 12 students were not telling them.
‘They knew there was more to the story ever since the night he died,’ Carly said. ‘They knew their son better than everyone and Jack was not an irresponsible guy.
‘So I think ever since then, it kind of started like a fight for justice and truth. And they haven’t really stopped fighting for their son and the truth ever since that night.’
Jack was known for being a ‘very smart and likable’ classmate, who got along with everyone, Carly explained.
She recalls their friendship being similar to a bond with a sibling – and said she has fond memories with the 19-year-old, whose body was not found for 10 days after falling from the party boat.
Carly (pictured) sat down with the Elliott family in December 2019 to discuss with them what happened to their son. She dropped out of college after having a mental breakdown over the incident
Carly’s fear of backlash from the group on the boat also made her fear going back to school. While the others attempted to hide their footprints, Carly told the truth
Carly’s testimony to the Elliott family was the first push to getting justice for Jack, she said. The family launched a wrongful death lawsuit in 2020 in attempt to uncover the truth
Nearly three years later, five Texas college students are now facing criminal charges following Jack’s death, after they were found to be tampering with evidence and providing misinformation about the boat party incident.
The teens who were present on the boat attempted to conceal the truth by lying to officials, pleading ignorance to Jack’s family, and dumping their booze bottles off the side of the boat.
The true circumstances were only revealed in a wrongful death lawsuit launched by Elliot’s grieving family in 2020.
Elle, another teen on the boat, detailed in a sworn statement in the suit: ‘Delaney and Jack were at the front of the boat, flirting and kissing.
‘She gave Jack a “playful little shove” and he fell off the boat.’
Elle later admitted she had not told the police the full story. She said: ‘I was scared and in shock about what happened.
‘I wish it had not happened and I wish I’d told police everything the first time.’
In an affidavit, another teen said panicked Delaney kept repeating: ‘He fell! I didn’t mean to push him’ after the ordeal.
Carson, who was said to be in charge of the boat since his dad Billy ran the Northshore Marina, said in a sworn affidavit: ‘A lot of people were freaking out and crying and not communicating well.
‘I tried to stay as calm as possible because I knew it was serious and freaking out would make it worse.’ Carson turned the boat back and headed towards the spot where he believed Jack might have gone overboard, but he could not be found.
Elle Weber (pictured) had been behind the controls on the boat that day according to her sworn deposition. She originally had told Jack’s parents that nobody had any clear idea how their fell overboard – but her answer changed after a 2020 lawsuit. Elle later wrote in a sworn deposition that she had in fact been the only eyewitness and saw another girl push Jack into the lake
Jack’s lover, Delaney (pictured), now faces jail. Jack’s grieving family ‘haven’t really stopped fighting for their son and the truth ever since that night,’ according to former student Carly, who was also present on the boat
In her own deposition, Fashion student Delaney, now 21, also revealed in the she got a tattoo of Jack’s initials on her wrist after the tragedy so that she can remember how much ‘he loved life.’
She said: ‘I did that because I wanted to always have something to remember him by.
‘When I looked down I wanted to remember how much he loved life and it kind of gave me a reminder to always live my life to the fullest and to do everything in life to basically live up to what he would have done.’
A month after his death in November 2019, Delaney posted a black and white shot of the couple, showing them leaning into one another as she clings onto Jack’s arm while he is holding a beverage in a tin can.
In a social media tribute post following the incident, Carson remembered Jack and his ‘crazy dance moves.’ He wrote: ‘One minute you’re having the time of your life and the next one you’re grieving the loss of a good friend.
He continued, ‘Don’t think it will ever feel right without you here man. I wish I coulda gotten closer to you but God’s got a plan.’
The lawsuit, lodged by Elliott’s family in a bid to get finite answers from the teens, was settled privately and confidentially.
Despite this, the teens again found themselves in hot water in late 2021.
A Travis County grand jury decided that those involved had a criminal case to answer – particularly in respects to any alleged cover-up.
Delaney, Elle and Carson, along with students Anthony Salazar and Josh Evans, are now facing criminal charges after the justice system stepped in.
Delaney Brennan was indicted on a felony charge of tampering with evidence by aiding in the deletion of a cellphone video. She could face up to 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
She will appear for a pre-trial at the Travis County Criminal Court on August 17.
Delaney’s attorney declined to comment on the case when approached by DailyMail.com.
In an affidavit, another teen said panicked Delaney (above) kept repeating: ‘He fell! I didn’t mean to push him’ after the ordeal. Despite the lawsuit being settled privately, Delaney Brennan was indicted on a felony charge of tampering with evidence by aiding in the deletion of a cellphone video. She could face up to 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine
Posting onto social media, Delaney (pictured) wrote: ‘I’m still messed up from this and my parents are here with me now, but we don’t know much still. I just feel like guilty … and I don’t think I have ever been this sad. I was the last person to touch him’
Fashion student Delaney, now 21, later revealed she got a tattoo of Jack’s initials on her wrist after the tragedy so that she can remember how much ‘he loved life.’
Carson Neel was also indicted on a felony charge of tampering with physical evidence for allegedly dumping the alcohol overboard.
Like Delaney, Carson could also face up to 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. Carson appeared in Travis County Criminal Courts on August 2.
Elle Weber has been indicted on a misdemeanor charge of giving false information to a police officer. She is set to appear in court on August 16.
Josh Evans, of Aliso Viejo, was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor. Evans appeared in court on August 7.
Anthony Salazar was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of perjury. He appeared in court on August 2.
Inconsistencies in the timeline and events on the night that Jack’s fell to his death seem to have begun from the first call to the police, to inform them that the students could not find their friend.
Elle called 911 – and gave her name to police as ‘Elle Macpherson.’
She later said during a sworn deposition that she did not know the name she gave was one of a famous supermodel and actress.
As they sailed back to shore, the group allegedly dumped their alcohol bottles – including beers, White Claws, and vodka – in the water.
Following Jack’s disappearance, ‘the teens hatched a plan to hide the truth from authorities and even Jack’s family in Newport Beach,’ according to police records.
While Carson and Elle Weber had been behind the controls on the boat that day, the group persuaded fellow student, Anthony Salazar, who had not been drinking because he was feeling unwell, to say that he had been behind the wheel at the time of the accident.
Two months after the incident, by December 2019, Ben Echelson, a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden, filed a report that contained details of what they believe really occurred.
‘Jack Elliott was pushed by Delaney Brennan from the front of a wakeboard boat … operated by Elle Weber under the supervision of Carson Neel.
‘Jack Elliott was struck by the propeller multiple times and was killed … the alcohol on board was thrown overboard.
‘False statements were given to the officers responding to the accident concerning the events preceding the push and the manner in which Jack Elliott fell into the water.’
Jack’s body was not recovered for another 10 days, and he was eventually found more than 100 feet below the surface by rescue teams.
The boating expedition was led by Carson Neel whose dad, Billy, ran the Northshore Marina. Carson attempted to dive into the water and search for Jack, but failed
Police searched for Jack’s body after the group of teens on the boat the night of the incident failed to locate him
Jack’s body was found in the waters of Lake Travis (above), a manmade lake, northwest of Austin
The lawsuit, lodged by Elliott’s family in a bid to get finite answers from the teens, was settled privately and confidentially. Jack is pictured with his dad, Brett
Pictured: Devil’s Cove in Lake Travis. Jack was pushed from the boat into the water between the popular party spot, Devil’s Cove.
Pictured: Devil’s Cove in Lake Travis. Jack and other students at TCU were on a boat near Devil’s Cove on Lake Travis when he fell into the water