Boat captain arrested after vessel capsizes near Statue of Liberty, killing woman and her 5-month-old daughter

A woman and her 5-month-old daughter died after a boat capsized near Liberty Island in the New York Harbor on Saturday night.

The boat’s captain, identified as Manuel Hernandez, 46, was arrested and initially charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, according to the New York Police Department and the Coast Guard.

He was taken into federal custody and the New York Southern District Court will now take on the investigation, the NYPD confirmed to NBC News.

Court records were not immediately available, and it was unclear Sunday whether Hernandez has an attorney. The New York County Defender Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Investigators with the Coast Guard are coordinating with New York police to determine “whether the operation constitutes an illegal charter operation,” the Coast Guard said in a statement Sunday.

The dead were identified as Queens resident Sara Sanchez, 27, and her baby daughter, Antonella Garcia, according to the NYPD.

It said both were taken to NYU Langone Health Brooklyn in critical condition and later pronounced dead at the hospital.

A 911 caller reported that the vessel, a 22-foot Bayliner pleasure craft, overturned in the harbor around 10:25 p.m. Saturday near Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, police said.

Bayliner makes a few 22-foot models, each with a capacity of 10 to 12 people, with its new V22 Bowrider able to carry a maximum of 12, according to its website.

Twelve people who were on the boat were rescued before police arrived and were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries, the NYPD said.

The mother and daughter were pulled from the water by police divers, part of an NYPD response that included a helicopter and its Harbor Unit scuba team, the NYPD said.

Neighbor Diego Naranjo, 35, said he met Sanchez a few months ago. She lived in New York City’s College Point neighborhood with the father of their children, he said.

Last week, he saw the couple bringing groceries home. On Sunday, he said, he spoke with family members who visited Sanchez’s home.

“She was a beautiful person, very kind, friendly, respectful,” Naranjo said in a phone interview.

Officials have not released details about the boat or its operator. The Coast Guard confirmed to NBC News on Sunday morning that the vessel was towed to shore and remains in police custody.

The Coast Guard has strict rules about charter vessels, their operators and renters, and the number of passengers on board.

“The Coast Guard, in coordination with the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) and the NYPD, is conducting an active marine casualty investigation into the circumstances and cause of a fatal vessel capsizing,” the Coast Guard said in its statement.

Liberty Island, on the New Jersey side of New York Harbor, is home to the Statue of Liberty, the iconic sculpture given to the U.S. by France as a symbol of the alliance between the two nations. The statue has been on the island since President Grover Cleveland dedicated it in 1886.

The island is a popular tourist destination, drawing visitors who climb to Lady Liberty’s crown for sweeping harbor views. Others opt for boat tours to take in the statue from the water.

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