A man has been charged in connection with the deaths of a mother and her five-month-old daughter after a boat capsized in New York Harbor. The incident occurred at approximately 10:25 p.m. on Saturday near Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty is located. The 22-foot Bayliner speedboat overturned, resulting in the loss of two lives.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a report was made of ‘persons on board going into the water,’ prompting a response from NYPD divers, New York Fire Department first responders, two Coast Guard vessels, and an NYPD helicopter. Twelve people were rescued from the water before police arrived, and the remaining passengers were in stable condition. However, police divers later found the 27-year-old woman and her infant daughter in the water, and both were pronounced dead at NYU Langone Brooklyn.
Captain Doreen McCarthy, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York, expressed her condolences to the victims’ family and loved ones, stating, ‘We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life last night… 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.’
Manuel Hernandez, 46, of New York, has been charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment. He was arrested by the NYPD at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, roughly four hours after the boat capsized. The incident is currently under investigation, with authorities exploring the possibility that the vessel was being used as an illegal charter. An illegal charter is a passenger-for-hire vessel operating without the required U.S. Coast Guard credentials, safety equipment, or certificate of inspection.
The victims’ identities have not been released pending notification of family. The Coast Guard, along with its investigative service and the NYPD, is actively investigating the circumstances and cause of the fatal vessel capsizing.
