The caption of a boat on a nighttime excursion in New York Harbor has been arrested after the vessel capsized near Liberty Island, resulting in the deaths of a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old daughter.
The boat trip deadly Saturday when a 22-foot Bayliner speedboat carrying 14 individuals overturned near Liberty Island, Authorities responded to a 911 emergency call around 10:25 p.m. reporting victims stranded in the water near the iconic landmark. A joint rescue effort involving the New York Police Department Harbor Unit, scuba divers, aviation teams, the Fire Department of New York, and the United States Coast Guard pulled 14 people from the bay.
Twelve survivors were transported to local medical facilities for minor injuries, while the mother and infant were rushed in critical condition to NYU Langone Hospital, where both were subsequently declared dead. Law enforcement officers arrested the vessel’s skipper, identified as 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez of Manhattan, at approximately 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Police charged Hernandez with 13 counts of reckless endangerment following the catastrophic event.
Federal and local agencies have launched a comprehensive marine casualty investigation to establish the root cause of the incident. Investigators have not yet confirmed where the excursion launched or what precise factors triggered the vessel to flip. Officials are closely scrutinizing whether the vessel was operating over its capacity or functioning as an “illegal charter operation” at the time it overturned. The Coast Guard Investigative Service and the NYPD are coordinating their inquiries to evaluate safety compliance and the operational legality of the excursion.
Expressing condolences over the incident, Captain Doreen McCarthy, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York, issued a public statement addressing the tragedy. “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,” she stated.
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