Overview
- A chartered 21–22 foot boat capsized near Liberty Island on Aug. 8, throwing 14 people into the water and killing 27-year-old Sara Sanchez and her 5-month-old daughter Antonella Garcia.
- Federal prosecutors have charged the operator with two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death and he also faces state reckless-endangerment counts.
- Investigators say the vessel was an unlicensed commercial charter that was overloaded with 14 people despite a 10-person capacity and lacked infant-sized life jackets, and that a U-turn into a swell swamped the bow and capsized the boat.
- The operator, Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond after his initial federal appearance and was later detained by ICE after a Coast Guard Investigative Service finding that he was unlawfully present in the United States.
- The case has prompted a multi-agency probe by CGIS, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and NYPD and could increase enforcement of credentialing and safety rules for small passenger charters while the family of the victims continues to grieve.