A 22-Foot Boat Meant for 12 Was Carrying 14 - a Mother and Her 5-Month-Old Did Not Make It Back

A Family Outing on the Harbor Turned Fatal in the Dark

A Saturday night ride on New York Harbor ended with 14 people in the water near Liberty Island, and by the time rescue crews reached everyone, a 27-year-old mother from Queens and her 5-month-old daughter were dead. Sara Sanchez and her infant, Antonella Garcia, were pronounced dead at NYU Langone Brooklyn after the small powerboat they were aboard capsized at about 10:20 p.m. on August 9, according to ABC7 New York.

The two were part of a group of 14 crowded onto a single recreational boat within sight of one of the most photographed landmarks in the country. What should have been an ordinary evening on the water became a search-and-rescue operation in the dark.

A Boat Built for a Dozen, Carrying More

The vessel was a 22-foot bowrider, a type of powerboat generally rated to carry 10 to 12 people, ABC7 reported. On Saturday night it was holding 14. When it overturned, the margin between a routine harbor outing and a deadly one narrowed to how fast responders could locate a group scattered across open water at night.

Twelve of the passengers were rescued and taken to hospitals with what officials described as minor injuries. Sanchez and her daughter were the only two who did not survive.

The Mother and Daughter Who Did Not Come Back

Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter were from College Point, Queens. Both were pronounced dead at NYU Langone Brooklyn, and police have publicly identified both victims, according to ABC7. The detail that has drawn the most public attention is the age of the youngest victim, an infant who was among the group on the water when the boat went over.

Authorities have not released further identifying details about the other passengers, several of whom were treated and released. The focus of the early reporting has stayed on the two who were lost and on how a recreational outing ended this way.

The Operator Now Faces 13 Counts

The man operating the boat, Manuel Hernandez, 46, of Manhattan, was charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, ABC7 reported. The count corresponds to the other people who were aboard and put at risk when the vessel capsized. Hernandez has not been convicted, and the charges reflect allegations that will be tested as the case moves forward.

Investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the New York Police Department opened an active investigation into what caused the boat to overturn.

What Investigators Still Have to Answer

Beyond the cause of the capsizing, the Coast Guard signaled a second line of inquiry. The agency said investigators are also looking into whether the trip may have been operating as an illegal charter, according to ABC7. That question, whether paying passengers were being carried on a boat not licensed or equipped to do so, could shape both the investigation and any additional charges.

For now, the case sits with a small recreational boat, 14 people who should not all have fit on it, and two who did not come home. The investigation into how the outing was arranged, and whether it should have happened at all, is just beginning.

References: Mother, infant die as boat capsizes off Liberty Island; boat operator charged | Operator arrested after boat capsizes in New York Harbor, killing 2, including a baby, and injuring 12