Public Safety & Justice Active Updated Aug 21, 2026
The Liberty Island boat capsize
A 22-foot Bayliner chartered for a birthday outing capsized off Liberty Island carrying 14 people against a stated capacity of 10, drowning a Queens mother and her infant daughter. Captain Manuel Hernandez faces 13 counts of reckless endangerment and a Coast Guard investigation into whether he was running an illegal, uninspected charter. The case tests whether the criminal charges and federal probe lead to further prosecution or civil penalties.
The story so far
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Aug 21, 2026 Latest
Federal authorities said they will seek to deport boat captain Manuel Hernandez following his ICE detention over the Statue of Liberty-area capsizing that killed a Queens mother and her infant daughter, NBC New York reported.
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Aug 20, 2026
ICE detained boat captain Manuel Hernandez following the Statue of Liberty-area capsizing that killed a Queens mother and her infant daughter, El Diario NY and ABC7 reported.
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Aug 11, 2026
Federal prosecutors charged captain Manuel Hernandez, 46, of Manville, New Jersey, with two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death for piloting an unlicensed, uninspected boat that capsized off Liberty Island. Hernandez was released on $50,000 bond, barred from leaving New York or New Jersey, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on both counts.
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Aug 10, 2026
A 22-foot Bayliner bowrider chartered for a birthday outing capsized off Liberty Island around 10:25 p.m. Saturday carrying 14 people against a stated capacity of 10, drowning Sara Sanchez, 27, of Queens, and her 5-month-old daughter Antonella Garcia. Captain Manuel Hernandez, 46, was charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, and the Coast Guard opened an investigation into whether he was running an illegal, uninspected charter.
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