The skipper who was allegedly at the helm of a vessel that overturned in New York Harbor, leaving a young mother and her infant daughter dead, has now been publicly seen for the first time since the tragedy.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, was released Monday afternoon after posting a $50,000 bond. He is due back in court for his next hearing on September 9.
Hernandez had initially been hit with 13 state counts of reckless endangerment following the fatal boating accident, which killed 27-year-old Sara Sanchez and her five-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, when the vessel capsized at about 10.30pm Saturday in New York Harbor.
After receiving treatment for minor injuries at a Brooklyn hospital, Hernandez was moved into federal custody on Sunday, sources told the New York Post.
The state criminal case against him is no longer moving ahead as federal authorities take over the inquiry into the deadly boat capsizing.
On Monday, Hernandez appeared in federal court, where he was arraigned on fresh charges tied to misconduct and neglect, according to the Post. In court, he was still dressed in a white bathing suit and swim shoes.
Newly filed court records also claim Hernandez did not hold the required license to operate the boat that overturned, and that he had instead been employed as a limousine driver.
Federal investigators are examining whether Hernandez was operating an illegal passenger charter service without the necessary U.S. Coast Guard credentials, required safety gear or a valid certificate of inspection.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, was released on a $50,000 bond on Monday afternoon
Hernandez was transferred to federal custody on Sunday after being treated at a Brooklyn hospital for minor injuries
The boat captain’s state-level criminal charges are no longer being pursued as a federal investigation moves forward
Investigators are also working to determine whether the 21-foot white Yamaha AR210 Hernandez was captaining with 14 people on board had been overloaded.
Captain Doreen McCarthy, of the Coast Guard’s New York Sector, said in a statement: ‘We are committed to holding illegal operators accountable to [the] highest extent of the law to ensure the safety of everyone on our waterways.’
‘We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life last night and our thoughts are with the victims’ family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,’ McCarthy added.
Zeus Luxury, from which the bowrider Hernandez captained was reportedly chartered, is described online as ‘one of the leading companies in limousine, party bus and yacht rentals in the tri-state area.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the company for comment.
A source previously told the Post that the boat, with a typical capacity of around ten people, should not have had more than five passengers on board.
‘Recreational boating in New York Harbor is the Wild West,’ the source told the outlet. ‘Uncharted debris, rip rap, bridge abutments, anchorage chains, commercial shipping channels, marine plane traffic.’
Sara Raez, who was on the vessel, told the Post that the group had chartered the boat from Zeus Luxury for her mother Paula Rivera’s surprise 41st birthday party.
Sara Sanchez (right) was killed alongside her five-month-old baby when a boat they were traveling on in New York capsized. Her husband Andres Garcia (left) was also on board
Sanchez, a mother-of-two, was killed when the vessel overturned near Liberty Island at around 10.30pm on Saturday.
Family and friends boarded the boat, which Raez described as ‘kind of like a yacht,’ at around 7pm, passed by the Statue of Liberty and were heading back to shore when tragedy struck.
‘The water got into the boat,’ Raez recounted. ‘The boat went up, and when it went down, it was, in seconds, it flipped over.’
All of the passengers were then left stuck underneath the vessel, she said, before crews rescued them and pulled them from the water.
‘We were just trying to get out. Then, when finally everyone got out, everyone was screaming,’ Raez added.
Sanchez and her five-month-old daughter were airlifted to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn in critical condition but were later pronounced dead.
A dozen others were also taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Sanchez and her daughter are survived by their husband and father, Andres, who was also onboard the boat Saturday night and survived, as well as the couple’s other son.
‘He lost his wife and daughter. It’s very sad,’ an employee at the restaurant where Andres works as a waiter, Il Punto Ristorante, told Our News Outlet.
The 21-foot boat Hernandez was captaining had 14 people on board when it capsized. A helicopter searching the water after the boat flipped is pictured
Sanchez and Garcia had recently welcomed their baby girl. Garcia has been left to rebuild his life with his six-year-old son
Antonio Russo, a manager at the Italian eatery, also told W42St that Andres had been working there for five years, describing him as a ‘very hardworking guy.’
The couple had just recently welcomed their baby girl, sharing a video at the end of January showing Sanchez’s pregnant belly covered with lavender butterflies and sparkles.
‘We love you Antonella,’ it read.
As Andres now works to rebuild his life with his six-year-old son, Salvador, his employers have created a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses, daily living expenses, Andres’s time away from work and ‘the many unexpected costs that come with a tragedy of this magnitude,’ the fundraiser page said.
‘This past weekend, what was meant to be a joyful family outing ended in an unimaginable tragedy when a boat carrying Andres and his family capsized,’ Il Punto Ristorante posted to Facebook as it shared the GoFundMe.
‘Our hearts are with Andres and his family as they navigate this tremendous loss. We ask our Il Punto community to please keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.’
