Manuel Hernandez, 46, of Manhattan, was arrested Sunday and charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment
after a dangerously overcrowded motorboat capsized in New York Harbor near Liberty Island.
The arrest came at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, hours after 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.
The 22-foot bowrider motorboat flipped over at about 10:25 p.m., and a 5-month-old child was among those pulled from the water
.
Twelve people had been pulled from the water before police arrived, and divers later located a 27-year-old woman and a 5-month-old girl in the water, both taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition and later pronounced dead
.
The two deceased victims have been identified. Sara Sanchez, 27, and her infant daughter Antonella Garcia, 5 months old, of College Point, were among those on the vessel. Police have not confirmed whether the woman and child are related, though the source article states that Sanchez’s boyfriend, who was Garcia’s father, was also on board at the time.
A total of 14 people were on board the vessel, with the boat located in the Hudson River near Buoy 32, between the Statue of Liberty and Bay Ridge Anchorage
. Manufacturers typically rate that style and size of vessel at a maximum of ten passengers, yet the boat carried four more than safe capacity.
Hernandez, who lived in a Manhattan building just south of Central Park, was identified as the vessel’s operator. The department’s Harbor Unit, SCUBA Team and Aviation responded to the scene, with divers and first responders arriving at about 10:30 p.m. 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 See the City II — according to the company’s owner, Adam Schwartz.
“No. Why? Why? No.” a loved one of the victims could be heard yelling in horror at NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, where many of the victims had been taken.
Twelve people were rescued and transported with minor injuries to local area hospitals. Two critically injured patients were transported to NYU Langone Health Brooklyn, while 12 people with minor injuries were taken to area hospitals.
Sources have described conditions in New York Harbor as particularly treacherous for recreational boating. New York Harbor is one of the world’s busiest harbors with ships and barges always on the move, accompanied by tankers, freighters, cruise ships, naval vessels, tugs and tows and recreational boat traffic, along with continual ferry service.
The source article notes that the vessel typically has a capacity of about 10 people, but sources say it should not have been carrying more than five passengers given the location. A well-placed source told the New York Post: “Recreational boating in New York Harbor is the Wild West, uncharted debris, rip rap, bridge abutments, anchorage chains, commercial shipping channels, marine plane traffic.”
The US Coast Guard is also investigating what caused the boat to capsize. The U.S. Coast Guard says the operator of boat that capsized in New York Harbor is facing criminal charges and authorities are investigating whether the vessel was chartered illegally.
In the viral moment Saturday night, a motorboat carrying 14 people, double its safe capacity in one of the world’s busiest harbors, suddenly capsized near Liberty Island. The vessel, a 22-foot bowrider, overturned in choppy waters filled with commercial shipping traffic, ferry wakes, and hazardous debris. Twelve people had been pulled from the water before police arrived, but divers searching the dark waters found the 27-year-old woman and 5-month-old girl in critical condition. Despite immediate transport to the hospital, both were pronounced dead on arrival.
The tragedy exposed serious gaps in recreational boating oversight. The vessel was rated for far fewer passengers, yet Hernandez allegedly loaded it to dangerous capacity in a harbor known for treacherous conditions and limited margin for error. Authorities are now investigating whether the boat was illegally chartered and what regulatory failures allowed such overcrowding.
Hernandez was arrested on 13 counts of reckless endangerment, with further possible charges expected to involve the deaths of the mother and child.