Operator Charged in NYC Boat Capsize That Killed 2, Released on $50,000 Bail

3 articles · Updated · NBC New York · Aug 11

$50,000 bail freed Manuel Hernandez after federal charges accused him of misconduct and neglect in a New York Harbor capsizing that killed 27-year-old Sara Sanchez and her 5-month-old daughter.
A criminal complaint says Hernandez piloted a 22-foot boat carrying 14 people—over its 10-person limit—made a U-turn into a swell near the Statue of Liberty and accelerated before the bow swamped and the vessel flipped.
Prosecutors said Hernandez was unlicensed, was running a charter without telling the boat's owner, and took an infant aboard without child-sized life vests; he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on both counts.
Survivor Elizabeth Velez said the church group had been celebrating a birthday for more than three hours when the boat overturned in seconds, leaving all 14 people underwater before 12 were rescued.
The deaths left Sanchez's husband and the baby's father among the survivors, while a fundraising campaign for funeral and family costs topped $25,000 by Monday afternoon.