The operator of a boat that capsized near the Statue of Liberty, killing a woman and an infant, has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, New York police said.
A large search and rescue operation was launched Saturday night after the boat overturned in New York Harbor, according to officials. Twelve people who were initially pulled from the water are all reported to be in stable condition. New York police divers later recovered a 27-year-old woman and a five-month-old girl, both of whom were taken to a nearby hospital, where they subsequently died.
Officials have not publicly released the names of the passengers or the specific cause of the incident. While authorities have not formally identified the two victims, coworkers of the woman have done so, and law enforcement sources who spoke with CBS News independently confirmed the same identification.
New York restaurant Il Punto Ristorante said on social media that the two victims, Sara Sanchez and her baby, Antonella Garcia, were the wife and daughter of one of its employees, Andres Garcia, who was also aboard the boat when it capsized. “What was meant to be a joyful family outing ended in unimaginable tragedy,” the restaurant wrote on Instagram.
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Around 10:25 p.m. local time, police received a 911 call reporting an overturned boat in the waters near Liberty Island, home to the iconic statue. A nearby tour company, Sea the City, spotted the capsized vessel and helped pull 11 people from the water, according to founder Adam Schwartz, as reported by CBS. The broader rescue effort involved two U.S. Coast Guard boats, four fire department boats, two police boats and a police helicopter, the Coast Guard said.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing, officials said. The boat’s operator, a 46-year-old Manhattan resident identified by U.S. media, including CBS, as Manuel Hernandez, faces 13 counts of reckless endangerment. Coast Guard investigators are also working to determine whether the vessel was operating as an illegal charter, referring to any passenger-for-hire boat operation lacking the required credentials, safety equipment or certificate of inspection.
“We are extremely grateful for the heroic, swift actions of our partner agencies and Good Samaritan vessel who assisted in rescuing survivors from the water,” said Coast Guard Capt. Doreen McCarthy.
