A 27-year-old woman and her five-month-old daughter died after a boat carrying 13 people overturned in the waters near Liberty Island off Lower Manhattan late Saturday night, August 8, 2026. The victims were identified as Sara Sanchez of College Point, Queens, and her infant daughter, Antonella Garcia. Twelve other people, including Sanchez’s partner and the baby’s father, Andres Garcia, survived the incident and were taken from the water or rescued by nearby vessels.
Police have arrested the boat’s captain, 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez, who is facing 13 counts of reckless endangerment. Authorities are also investigating whether the vessel was operating as an illegal charter without the credentials and safety requirements required for passenger-for-hire operations.
Boat Overturns Near Liberty Island, Leaving Mother and Infant Dead
The 21-foot Yamaha boat overturned shortly before 10:30 p.m. Saturday while operating in the waters near Liberty Island, according to officials and police sources. The incident triggered a large emergency response involving the New York City Police Department, Fire Department of New York and the U.S. Coast Guard. When emergency crews arrived, people from the overturned vessel were already in the water, creating an urgent rescue operation in the darkness. NYPD divers located Sara Sanchez and her five-month-old daughter Antonella Garcia in critical condition in the water.
Both were removed and transported to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where medical personnel attempted to save them, but the mother and child were pronounced dead, according to FDNY officials. The tragedy has left Sanchez’s family and the child’s father facing an especially difficult loss. Sanchez and Andres Garcia had reportedly been together for more than 10 years and had two children.
Their six-year-old son, Salvador, was not on the boat that night and survived. Garcia was among the people rescued after the vessel overturned and was later taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. According to Antonio Russo, the general manager of Il Punto Ristorante in Hell’s Kitchen, where Garcia works, the father was left in shock after the deaths of his partner and infant daughter. Russo described the couple as deeply devoted to one another and said Garcia had been in love with Sanchez for many years.
The family had reportedly been attending a birthday celebration for a friend who had chartered the boat. Sanchez brought her five-month-old daughter with her because the baby was still breastfeeding, according to Russo. Their decision to have the infant accompany them turned an evening gathering into a devastating family tragedy. The couple’s older son remained on land, but Antonella was with her parents when the boat went down. Sanchez and Garcia’s families are reportedly based in Colombia, leaving Garcia to cope with the loss of his partner and daughter while also caring for their surviving young son.
🚨 NEW YORK HARBOR TRAGEDY
— Daily Briefs (@Daily_Briefs_) August 10, 2026
A 22-foot boat carrying 14 people capsized near Liberty Island, #NewYork
Sara Sanchez, 27, & her 5-month-old daughter Antonella Garcia, both from Queens, died. 12 others survived.
Operator Manuel Hernandez was arrested#โหนกระแส #brøndby 合計連数 pic.twitter.com/GuM71oaiad
Police identified the boat’s captain as Manuel Hernandez, 46, who lives in Midtown. Hernandez was also among those taken for medical treatment after the accident. Despite being injured, he was arrested and charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, one count corresponding to each person aboard the vessel. His arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court was pending Sunday while he received treatment at Maimonides Medical Center. The charges represent the first criminal action announced in connection with the incident, but the investigation into exactly why the boat overturned remains active.
Survivors Rescued as Emergency Crews and Passing Boat Respond
The rescue effort involved multiple agencies and a nearby civilian vessel that played a significant role in getting survivors out of the water. A passing hot tub boat operated by Sea the City II reached people who were struggling after the Yamaha overturned. Adam Schwartz, the company’s owner, said the crew helped bring 11 people aboard their vessel before coordinating with authorities and taking the survivors to a landing area in Brooklyn. The quick response by the nearby boat gave emergency crews additional time to organize the wider rescue operation while people were still in the water.
Schwartz said the crew was relieved that they had been able to assist those affected by the accident. Their intervention came as emergency responders were mobilizing across the harbor. The Coast Guard said two of its boats responded, while the FDNY sent four boats and the NYPD deployed two boats along with an NYPD helicopter. The coordinated response reflected the difficulty of conducting a nighttime rescue in the waters surrounding Lower Manhattan, where darkness, boat traffic and the distance from shore can complicate efforts to locate and recover people who have entered the water.
Twelve people survived the accident, including Garcia and the boat’s captain. The survivors were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries, according to officials. Although most of those aboard escaped with their lives, the deaths of Sanchez and Antonella transformed the incident into a fatal marine casualty. Investigators are now examining what happened in the moments before the boat overturned, including the condition of the vessel, its operation, the circumstances surrounding the passengers and whether required safety measures were in place.
The Coast Guard has opened what officials described as an active marine casualty investigation into the cause of the capsizing. Investigators from the Coast Guard Investigative Service are working with the NYPD as authorities examine the circumstances surrounding the trip. One of the central questions is whether the boat was legally authorized to carry passengers for payment. Coast Guard officials said they were investigating whether the vessel was operating as an illegal charter at the time of the accident.
An illegal charter, according to the Coast Guard, involves a passenger-for-hire vessel operation that does not have the required Coast Guard credentials, safety equipment and certificate of inspection. Such requirements are intended to establish minimum safety standards for commercial passenger operations. Investigators will therefore examine how the boat was chartered, who arranged the trip, whether passengers paid for the service and whether the vessel and its operator possessed the appropriate documentation and equipment.
The investigation is expected to determine whether regulatory violations contributed to the accident. At this stage, authorities have not publicly established the precise mechanical, operational or environmental cause of the capsizing. The criminal charge against Hernandez is based on allegations of reckless endangerment, while the Coast Guard investigation is examining the broader circumstances of the marine casualty. Additional findings could emerge as investigators interview survivors, review vessel information and examine evidence related to the boat and its operation.
Investigation Focuses on Captain and Possible Illegal Charter Operation
The arrest of Manuel Hernandez has placed the boat’s operation at the center of the investigation. Police charged him with 13 counts of reckless endangerment after the 21-foot Yamaha overturned with 13 people aboard. The charges indicate that investigators believe the circumstances surrounding the boat’s operation may have placed those aboard at serious risk. Hernandez was himself among those rescued, and his medical treatment delayed his arraignment as authorities continued investigating the accident.
The Coast Guard’s separate inquiry into a possible illegal charter could become an important part of the case. Passenger-for-hire vessels are subject to specific federal requirements intended to protect people who travel on commercial or chartered boats. Those requirements can include appropriate credentials for operators, safety equipment and certificates of inspection depending on the type and size of the operation. Investigators are determining whether the vessel involved in Saturday night’s accident met those requirements or was carrying passengers without the necessary authorization.
Coast Guard Sector New York Commander Captain Doreen McCarthy expressed condolences to the victims’ family and praised the agencies and civilian boat crew involved in the rescue. She said investigators were working closely with the Coast Guard Investigative Service and NYPD and emphasized that authorities would pursue illegal operators to the fullest extent permitted by law. Her comments underscore the broader safety concerns raised by the accident, particularly if investigators ultimately determine that the vessel was operating outside the regulatory framework established for passenger transportation.
For the Garcia family, however, the investigation cannot undo the loss of Sara Sanchez and her infant daughter. The mother was only 27 years old, while Antonella was just five months old. Their deaths have left Andres Garcia without his longtime partner and with the responsibility of raising their six-year-old son, Salvador. According to Russo, both sides of the family are in Colombia, adding another layer of difficulty as relatives cope with the deaths from a distance and support Garcia during the aftermath.
A GoFundMe campaign was started on behalf of the family by Russo as Garcia and his surviving child face the immediate consequences of the tragedy. The family is now dealing with funeral arrangements, medical and other expenses associated with the accident, while also confronting the sudden loss of a mother and infant daughter. Sanchez’s death has also left a young child without his mother and a father grieving the loss of both his partner and baby.
Authorities have not yet released a final explanation for why the boat capsized. The active marine casualty investigation remains underway, while the NYPD criminal case against Hernandez proceeds separately. Investigators are expected to examine the boat’s condition, its operation, the circumstances of the charter, the number of people aboard and whether all required safety provisions were followed. The outcome could determine whether additional charges or regulatory action follow.
The accident has also highlighted the risks associated with nighttime boating and passenger operations in New York’s busy waterways. Liberty Island and the surrounding waters attract recreational boaters, charter operators and other vessels, making safety compliance particularly important when passengers are being transported. The Coast Guard’s investigation will ultimately seek to establish what caused the vessel to overturn and whether violations or unsafe practices played a role in the deaths of Sanchez and her daughter.
For now, the confirmed toll remains two dead and 12 survivors rescued or treated following the capsizing. Sara Sanchez and five-month-old Antonella Garcia were unable to survive after being found in critical condition in the water, while Andres Garcia and the other survivors escaped with minor injuries. As federal and city investigators continue examining the incident, the circumstances surrounding the boat’s operation, its captain and the possible illegal charter remain key parts of the ongoing investigation.