Captain Charged in Deaths of Mother, Baby in Harbor Capsizing

The captain of an allegedly unlicensed boat that capsized in New York Harbor near Liberty Island over the weekend, killing a young woman and her infant daughter, has been charged in their deaths.

Manuel Hernandez, 46, of Manville, New Jersey, was charged Monday with two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He appeared in court Monday, was not required to enter a plea and was released on $50,000 bail, NBC New York reported. He left with his court-appointed attorney, Amy Gallicchio, and both declined to comment. Gallicchio did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

Sara Sanchez, 27, of Queens, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, died Saturday evening.

Prosecutors say Hernandez was piloting a Yamaha AR210 jet vessel that he had not registered, without certification to carry paying customers in the harbor, and with no infant-sized flotation devices aboard. The complaint alleges he had 14 people on board including himself, exceeding the boat's maximum capacity of 10.

The tour, arranged through a company that branded itself as a luxury limousine and rental yacht provider, was booked for 13 passengers for $1,800, the complaint said. Hernandez allegedly told investigators he had worked for the operator periodically since 2025 and had run two similar tours on his own, larger boat, which needed repairs. He used a friend's boat Saturday without telling the owner it would carry paying customers, prosecutors allege.

Before boarding, according to the complaint, Hernandez asked Sanchez and the baby's father whether they had an infant flotation device. They did not, and he told them the boat had none, so one parent would have to wear a life jacket and hold the child. Sanchez did.

At 10:20 p.m., three hours and 20 minutes into the tour, Hernandez made a U-turn into a swell "possibly caused by the wake of a larger passing vessel," the filing says. "However, the swell swamped the bow of the vessel and immediately capsized the vessel."

All 13 passengers and Hernandez were thrown overboard. Commercial boats and vessels from the New York Police Department, the Coast Guard and the Fire Department responded, pulling 11 passengers and Hernandez from the water. Sanchez and her baby were recovered unresponsive, given CPR and pronounced dead at a Brooklyn hospital.

Hernandez never obtained a merchant mariner credential or a Coast Guard certificate of inspection, both required to carry paying passengers, the complaint says. He told investigators he did not know they were required. Federal rules also mandate that children under 13 wear appropriate flotation devices.

Sanchez's partner, identified by co-workers as Andres Garcia, worked at Il Punto Restaurant and the Marco Hotel over the past six years. General managers of the two businesses held a news conference Monday, describing him as a hardworking family man who supported relatives in New York and in Colombia, and started an online fundraiser for him and the couple's surviving 6-year-old child.