A tragic night on the water near Liberty Island has left a family shattered and a boat captain facing serious legal trouble. Authorities say the operator was hit with over a dozen charges after his vessel capsized, killing a young mother and her infant daughter.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, is now facing 13 counts of reckless endangerment following the Saturday night disaster. Law enforcement sources confirm the 22-foot motorboat he was piloting flipped just before 10:30 p. m.
, with more charges potentially on the way.
The boat, a bowrider designed for a maximum of 10 to 12 passengers, was reportedly overloaded with 14 people on board. That dangerous overcrowding is at the center of the investigation, according to NYPD sources.
The victims have been identified as 27-year-old Sara Sanchez and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella, both from College Point, Queens. The baby’s father, who was Sanchez’s boyfriend, was also on the vessel during the terrifying incident but survived.
Emergency crews from the NYPD, FDNY, US Coast Guard, and Air Sea Rescue rushed to the scene near Liberty Island. Hernandez was taken into custody, and his last known address is a swanky Midtown Manhattan condo building.
By Sunday morning, images showed the overturned boat being hoisted from the water as NYPD helicopters circled overhead. The 11 other passengers were pulled to safety and taken to Brooklyn’s Lutheran Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries and listed in stable condition.
At the hospital, the grief was raw and undeniable. One loved one of the victims was heard wailing, “No! Why?
Why? No!” as survivors, still clutching their life jackets, sat in the lobby.
As the investigation continues, one haunting question remains: how could a night on the water turn so deadly so fast?
