NEW YORK, United States: A Liberty Island boat capsize killed a 27-year-old mother and her five-month-old daughter after a 22-foot vessel overturned Saturday night in New York Harbour.
The first emergency call came around 10:25 p.m. EDT on Aug. 8, police said. The New York Police Department identified the victims as Queens residents Sara Sanchez and Antonella Garcia. Police divers found them in the water near the Statue of Liberty.
Emergency workers took both victims to NYU Langone Health Brooklyn. Medical staff later pronounced them dead, according to police.
Twelve other passengers escaped with minor injuries and received hospital treatment. The United States Coast Guard said the survivors remained stable.
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Police arrested operator Manuel Hernandez, 46, around 2:30 a.m. EDT Sunday. Hernandez faces 13 counts of reckless endangerment. Authorities later transferred him to federal custody.
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The Coast Guard, its Investigative Service and the police opened a marine casualty investigation. Investigators will determine the cause and whether the vessel operated as an illegal charter.
“We are committed to holding illegal operators accountable,” Coast Guard Sector New York Commander Capt. Doreen McCarthy said.
