Speedboat Operator Faces Federal Charges in Fatal New York Harbor Capsizing
Federal charges filed against speedboat operator Manuel Hernandez after a capsizing killed a mother and her infant in New York Harbor.
The operator of a speedboat that capsized in New York Harbor over the weekend, killing a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old daughter, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Monday.
Manuel Hernandez, a 46-year-old New York resident, is now facing federal charges in connection with the incident. The specific nature of the federal charges has not yet been disclosed by authorities. Hernandez was already facing state charges of reckless endangerment in the deaths of Sara Sanchez and her infant daughter, Antonella Garcia.
Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for Manhattan federal prosecutors, confirmed that Hernandez is in federal custody and stated that further details would be released in due course. It remains unclear who will represent Hernandez in the federal proceedings.
The tragedy unfolded late Saturday when a 22-foot Bayliner speedboat overturned near the Statue of Liberty. Police divers recovered the bodies of Sanchez and her daughter, who were pronounced dead at a hospital. Twelve other individuals were rescued from the water before police arrived at the scene, and the U.S. Coast Guard reported that they were in stable condition.
Capt. Doreen McCarthy, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York, praised the response to the emergency, crediting the rescue of survivors to the "heroic, swift actions" of responders from multiple agencies, as well as a good Samaritan vessel that assisted in the effort.