The captain of a motorboat that capsized in New York Harbor and killed a mom and her baby was not licensed to operate the vessel – and was actually hired as a limo driver, new court documents reveal.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, was allegedly running an illegal charter operation when he overloaded the 21-foot boat with 13 passengers on Saturday night, and lacked required safety standards that included child or infant-sized life jackets, federal prosecutors said.
Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, drowned shortly before 10:30 p.m. when the boat was struck by a swell while making a U-turn near Liberty Island, while panicked survivors clung to the overturned vessel until help arrived.
Read more at https://nypost.com/2026/08/10/us-news/captain-in-ny-harbor-tragedy-didnt-have-boat-license-was-hired-as-limo-driver-for-luxury-tour-company-court-docs/
#captain #nyharbor #motorboat
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