YUBA CITY – A 3-year-old boy is dead after being hit by a personal watercraft at a Feather River beach.

Sutter County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Zembiec says 63-year-old John Blanchard and 50-year-old Allan Minkema of Yuba City hit the boy when they steered the watercraft to the beach at 15 to 20 mph Saturday.

They were jailed on suspicion of manslaughter.

The child was standing in less than a foot of water. He suffered fatal head injuries.

Zembiec says the boy's aunt was sitting about a yard away watching with her 1-year-old child on her lap. The aunt's boyfriend performed first aid until medics arrived.

The boy's name isn't being released. His parents were not present. Zembiec says the boaters did not know the family.