Boat Carrying 14 Overturns Near Statue of Liberty Killing Mother and 5-Month-Old Baby – Captain Arrested as Authorities Investigate Possible Illegal Charter

A 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old daughter were killed near Liberty Island in New York on Saturday night after a speed boat carrying 14 people overturned and capsized. 

One survivor from the deadly incident told ABC that NYPD rescue teams arrived on boats and immediately brought people to the dock.

“People were just speaking that there was a mother and a child that needed to be rescued from the water, and that they were found. By that time, I was already here, seeing the boats just flying out, coming in, back and forth, and that’s when the rescue happened with the mother and the child,” she said.

Via ABC 7:

The New York Post later confirmed the identities of the mother and child as 27-year-old Sara Sanchez and 5-month-old Antonella Garcia. Both were pronounced dead at the hospital after being pulled from the water. The 5-month-old’s father was also on board at the time.

The captain of the ship, 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez, was reportedly arrested and charged with at least 13 counts of reckless endangerment.

More from the New York Post:

Manuel Hernandez, 46 — whose last known address was a swanky condo building off Central Park South — was slapped with 13 charges of reckless endangerment after the 2019 white 21-foot Yamaha motorboat he was operating flipped over just before 10:30 p.m., according to cops and law-enforcement sources.

Authorities are investigating whether the ill-fated boat was operating as an illegal charter, the Coast Guard said in a press release — adding that such operations “often lack necessary safety equipment and may not meet the same safety standards as legal charters.”

The vessel, which features front seating, was packed with 14 people despite a seating capacity of no more than 10, according to online specs and NYPD sources.

Hernandez could face additional charges as the investigation continues.