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Liberty Island capsizing
A 22-foot bowrider power boat overturned near Liberty Island in New York Harbor late Saturday night, killing a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old daughter, while 12 other people were rescued from the water.
“A 5-month-old girl and a 27-year-old mother from Queens died after a boat overturned off Liberty Island”
Police identified the victims as Sara Sanchez, 27, and 5-month-old Antonella Garcia, and authorities said they were transported to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition before being pronounced dead.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the two passengers who were killed were a mother and child, and investigators were looking into what caused the fatal capsizing.
ABC7 New York reported that the boat overturned at about 10:20 p.m. and that a large emergency response involving FDNY and NYPD Harbor, scuba and aviation units followed the incident.
Charges and official statements
Authorities arrested the boat’s operator, 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez, and charged him with 13 counts of reckless endangerment as the Coast Guard investigated whether the trip was operating as an illegal charter.
Captain Doreen McCarthy, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York, said, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life last night, and our thoughts are with the victims’ family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," and she added, "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."
FOX 5 New York reported that Hernandez was arrested Sunday at 2:27 a.m. in the 72nd Precinct, after the vessel overturned at approximately 10:25 p.m. Saturday near Liberty Island.
NBC New York reported that the operator was moved into federal custody Sunday night after the NYPD said he was facing criminal charges, while the Coast Guard said it was investigating whether the vessel was an illegal charter.
Investigation and what’s next
The Coast Guard said it was investigating whether the vessel was being used as an "illegal charter operation," and it defined an illegal charter as any passenger-for-hire operation that lacks required Coast Guard credentials, safety equipment or valid inspection certificates.
“investigating whether the boat was being used at the time of the incident as an "illegal charter operation"”
The New York Police Department said emergency responders received a 911 call at about 10:25 p.m. on Saturday reporting an overturned vessel near Liberty Island, and police divers later found Sara Sanchez and Antonella Garcia in the water in critical condition.
CBS News reported that a Sea the City boat initially saw the capsized boat and people in the water and helped 11 people out of the water, while the remaining survivors were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
NBC News said the Coast Guard, working with the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the NYPD, was conducting an active marine casualty investigation into the circumstances and cause of the fatal vessel capsizing.
