Manuel Hernandez, 46, the captain of a boat that capsized in New York harbor on the evening of Saturday, August 8, 2026, has been charged following the deaths of a 27-year-old woman and her five-month-old daughter. Hernandez was arrested and charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment in the early hours of Sunday, August 9, according to a New York Police Department (NYPD) spokesperson.

The NYPD received a 911 call at approximately 10:25 p.m. reporting an overturned vessel near Liberty Island. Police deployed a helicopter unit, harbor unit, scuba team, and aviation to the scene. Divers found the woman and baby in the water, and both were transported in critical condition to NYU Langone hospital in Brooklyn, where they were pronounced dead. The victims were identified as Sara Sanchez and her daughter Antonella.

A dozen other people were rescued from the vessel before police arrived and were later taken to hospitals.

Captain Doreen McCarthy, commander of the US Coast Guard sector New York, expressed deep sadness over the loss of life and extended condolences to the victims' families. She also praised the swift actions of partner agencies and a Good Samaritan vessel that helped rescue survivors from the water.

Sources