Woman and baby die after boat capsizes in New York Harbor

The captain of a boat that capsized near Liberty Island in New York Harbor, killing a woman and her 5-month-old daughter, has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, authorities said. Manuel Hernandez, 46, of Manhattan, was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday and charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, the NYPD said. The US Coast Guard is investigating what caused the boat to capsize, including whether the vessel was part of an illegal charter operation, the agency said in a statement Sunday. The investigation is being conducted with the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the NYPD. An illegal charter is a passenger-for-hire operation that lacks required Coast Guard credentials, safety equipment and a certificate of inspection, according to the Coast Guard. “We are committed to holding illegal operators accountable to (the) highest extent of the law to ensure the safety of everyone on our waterways,” said Capt. Doreen McCarthy, the Coast Guard’s Sector New York commander. Police received a 911 call at about 10:25 p.m. Saturday reporting an overturned vessel near Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, according to the NYPD. The boat was in the Hudson River near Buoy 32, between the Statue of Liberty and Bay Ridge Anchorage, police said. The department’s Harbor Unit, SCUBA Team and Aviation Unit responded to the scene. Twelve people had been pulled from the water before police arrived, the NYPD said. Divers later located Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, both of Queens, in the water, police said. Both were taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition, where they were later pronounced dead, police said. The remaining survivors are in stable condition, the US Coast Guard said. A total of 14 people were on board the vessel, according to police. Twelve were rescued, including 11 who were saved by the captain and crew of the first boat to arrive on the scene — a hot tub boat called Sea the City II — according to the company’s owner, Adam Schwartz. It was not immediately clear how the 12th survivor was rescued. Temperatures Saturday night were about 80 degrees Fahrenheit under clear skies, with light westerly winds of around 10 mph, according to the National Weather Service. “I saw three helicopters, two active boats on the water, and just a lot of NYU (Langone hospital) ambulances, cops, firefighters, trucks,” witness Madeleine Montero told FreedomNewsTV. CNN affiliate WABC reported the capsized boat was a 22-foot bowrider, a common type of recreational powerboat. CNN has reached out to authorities for more information about the vessel. A boat chartered by a group of family and friends capsized in the Hudson River off Midtown Manhattan in July 2022, killing 7-year-old Julian Vasquez and 47-year-old Lindelia Vasquez. The boat’s owner and captain later pleaded guilty to a federal charge of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death; prosecutors said he had run paying tours without the required Coast Guard credentials. This is a developing story and will be updated.