The operator of a boat that capsized in New York Harbor, killing a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old daughter, was arrested Sunday. Manuel Hernandez of New York faces criminal charges following the incident, which also prompted the rescue of 12 other people.
Police charged Hernandez with 13 counts of reckless endangerment. No phone number for Hernandez could be found Sunday, and the case had not yet appeared in online court records.
The 22-foot Bayliner speedboat overturned around 10:25 p.m. Saturday near Liberty Island. The U.S. Coast Guard and local police are investigating whether the vessel was operating as an illegal charter.
The victims were identified as Sara Sanchez, 27, and her daughter Antonella Garcia, 5 months old, both residents of Queens. Both were transported to NYU Langone Health Brooklyn in critical condition and later pronounced dead.
Twelve people were pulled from the water before police units arrived. Police divers later located Sanchez and Garcia. The other survivors were reported in stable condition.
Capt. Doreen McCarthy, the Coast Guard Sector New York commander, said the agency was deeply saddened by the loss of life. "We are extremely grateful for the heroic, swift actions of our partner agencies and Good Samaritan vessel who assisted in rescuing survivors from the water," McCarthy said.
Adam Schwartz, owner of the sightseeing company Sea the City II, said his company's hot tub boat assisted in the rescue. "Our captain and both crew members immediately assisted, called in to the Coast Guard and then coordinated with the Coast Guard and NYPD Harbor units to bring them to land in Brooklyn," Schwartz said.
The Coast Guard defines an illegal charter as any passenger-for-hire vessel operation lacking Coast Guard credentials, safety equipment and inspection certificates. Investigators are working to determine the vessel's operational status.
