The two victims who died after an overloaded motorboat overturned in New York Harbor have been identified as a Queens mother and her baby daughter, police sources said Sunday.
Sara Sanchez, 27, and 5-month-old Antonella Garcia, both from College Point, were aboard a 2019, 21-foot white Yamaha AR210 carrying 14 people when it capsized near Liberty Island shortly before 10:30 p.m. Saturday, according to sources.
Police said Sanchez’s boyfriend, who is also the infant’s father, was on the boat when the deadly New York Harbor accident unfolded.
Online specifications for that model indicate the vessel is generally designed to hold about 10 people.
However, given the conditions and location where the fatal capsizing occurred, the boat should not have had more than five passengers aboard, a well-placed source told The Post.
“Recreational boating in New York Harbor is the Wild West,” the source said, pointing to hazards such as “uncharted debris, rip rap, bridge abutments, anchorage chains, commercial shipping channels” and marine aircraft traffic.
The boat’s operator, 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez, was charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, and sources said additional charges tied to the deaths of the mother and child could follow.
Hernandez’s last known address was listed at an upscale Midtown Manhattan building located just south of Central Park. His connection to the victims was not immediately clear.
