NEW YORK (AP) — A speedboat that capsized during a nighttime tour around the Statue of Liberty, drowning a baby girl and her mother, was illegally chartered, overcrowded and operating with a slew of safety violations, federal prosecutors said Monday.
The boat’s pilot, Manuel Hernandez, was charged with causing the deaths of 5-month old Antonella Garcia and 27-year-old Sara Sanchez through misconduct or neglect.
Hernandez wasn’t licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard, wasn’t aware of basic safety rules and told investigators he had borrowed his friend’s personal vessel for the excursion in New York Harbor, prosecutors said.
Antonella wasn’t wearing a life preserver because the boat didn’t have any for small children, prosecutors said. Instead, Hernandez told Sanchez she needed to wear a life vest and hold the infant throughout the hourslong tour, a violation of federal regulations, prosecutors said.
Hernandez, 46, of Manville, New Jersey, wiped his eyes as he arrived for his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court. He was not required to enter a plea and was released on $50,000 bail. He and his lawyer, Amy Gallicchio, declined to comment as she led him to a waiting vehicle.
The tour was organized through Zeus Luxury Rental Inc., which had a boat catch fire last year during a birthday charter cruise on Long Island Sound. A Coast Guard investigator said in Hernandez’s criminal complaint that the company does not appear to have applied for Coast Guard licensing.
Messages seeking comment were sent to a phone number and email address listed on Zeus Luxury’s website. The voicemail box for the phone number was full, according to an automated recording.
Charter company had a boat burst into flames last year
Authorities said the 21-foot Yamaha AR210 had 14 people aboard — well over its 10 person capacity — when it swamped and sank around 10:20 p.m. Saturday as Hernandez made a U-turn in choppy waters possibly caused by the wake of a larger vessel.
The boat was later pulled from the water and taken to a New York Police Department facility.
Zeus Luxury advertises its services on social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, marketing itself as “one of the leading companies in limousine, party bus, and yacht rentals in the tri-state area” and touting a fleet of vehicles including such high-end brands as Mercedes, Hummer, Rolls-Royce, and Cadillac.
According to his criminal complaint, Hernandez told investigators he had worked for Zeus Luxury on a freelance or contract basis since last year, starting as a limousine driver. He said that twice recently he used his personal boat, a slightly larger Yamaha AR250, but used a friend’s boat on Saturday because his needed repairs, the complaint said.
In June 2025, a boat on a company-organized charter cruise burst into flames near the Bronx. All 22 passengers survived. Some were pulled from the water and others swam to safety on nearby Hart Island. Three passengers were injured, authorities said. Loriann Garcia went into cardiac arrest and is now suing the company. Two others had severe burns.
The pilot of that boat, Joshua Brito, was indicted on charges including vehicular assault, reckless endangerment and operating a vessel while intoxicated. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bail.
“This is just a fly-by-night company,” Garcia’s lawyer, Rose Day, said. The vessel Garcia was on didn’t have life preservers and Zeus Luxury wasn’t properly insured, she said.
“Here we are, same thing, one year later. Same company, same reckless acts,” Day said. “It’s shocking that this has happened and sickening at the same time.”
A mother and daughter gone, a partner and father left grieving
Saturday’s tour began around 7 p.m. and the vessel capsized more than three hours into its journey. Hernandez tried to accelerate to pass through the swell, but water swamped the bow and the boat immediately capsized, prosecutors said.
Hernandez admitted to investigators that had never sought required licensing and claimed he was unaware it was needed, according to the complaint.
Hernandez said he capped trips using his personal boat at 12 passengers, but that he did not know the maximum capacity for the boat he used on Saturday. Hernandez said he thought there would be 12 passengers on the tour but ended up agreeing to take 13, the complaint said.
An online campaign to help Sanchez’s partner, Andres Garcia, pay for funeral and other expenses had topped $25,000 by Tuesday afternoon. Garcia also was on the boat.
Sanchez’s neighbor, Diego Naranjo, said he first met her last spring when her son threw a ball into their Queens backyard. After recovering the ball, Naranjo invited her son to play on a trampoline with his children.
“They were really nice people,” Naranjo said. “You can see when a person is noble.”
___
This story has been updated to correct that the boat was a Yamaha, not a Bayliner.
___
Turbay reported from Little Rock, Arkansas
Speedboat driver charged after capsizing on Statue of Liberty tour, killing infant and mother 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2026-08-10 23:39:19
Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
