The operator of an overcrowded boat that overturned in New York Harbor, leaving a young mother and her infant daughter dead, may soon face federal prosecution as authorities look into whether the outing was part of an unlawful charter operation.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, was moved into federal custody Sunday after being treated at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, sources told The Post.
Federal charges in the fatal New York Harbor boat capsize could be filed as early as Monday.
Hernandez, whose most recent listed address was in an upscale condominium building near Central Park South, had initially been held by the NYPD on 13 counts of reckless endangerment following his arrest Saturday night. Those local charges are no longer expected to move forward as the case shifts to federal investigators.
Authorities are now reviewing whether the motorboat was carrying more people than legally permitted when it flipped near Liberty Island with 14 people aboard, including Hernandez.
Investigators are also probing allegations that Hernandez was operating an illegal charter business — a paid passenger service that may have lacked required U.S. Coast Guard credentials, proper safety gear or a certificate of inspection.
The Coast Guard has already said it is treating the doomed trip as a possible unauthorized charter and has pledged to pursue accountability for anyone found to be running an illegal operation.
Two passengers, 27-year-old Sara Sanchez and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, were taken to NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn in critical condition, where both were later pronounced dead.
Sanchez’s boyfriend, who is also Garcia’s father, was on board the boat at the time but survived.
The couple also has a 6-year-old son.
Follow the latest on the boat crash off Liberty Island in New York Harbor:
In total, 12 people, including Hernandez, were taken to nearby hospitals with minor injuries.
The vessel, a 2019 white 21-foot Yamaha motorboat, overturned just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday, sparking a massive rescue operation involving the Coast Guard, FDNY, and NYDP.
The cause of the capsizing remains under investigation.
