Officials are looking into whether the boat was an illegal charter.
August 10, 2026, 2:08 PM
The operator of a boat that capsized in New York Harbor, leaving a mother and her baby daughter dead, was taken into federal custody on Monday, according to a U.S. official.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, is due to appear in federal court on Monday afternoon, ABC New York station WABC reported. The Coast Guard Investigative Service is leading the case, with criminal charges expected in the Southern District of New York.
Investigators are looking into whether the boat was an illegal charter operation, the Coast Guard said. Hernandez was initially arrested on state charges -- 13 counts of reckless endangerment -- according to the New York Police Department.
The New York Police Department said a 27-year-old woman and a 5-month-old girl were killed, August 8, 2026, when the boat they were aboard capsized near Liberty Island in New York Harbor, pictured here.
Nurphoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The boat overturned near the Statue of Liberty on Saturday night, sending all 14 on board into the water, the Coast Guard said.
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The NYPD identified the two people killed as 27-year-old Sara Sanchez and 5-month-old Antonella Garcia of Queens, New York. Sources told ABC News the victims were mother and daughter.
The 12 survivors were rescued with minor injuries, the Coast Guard said.
Sanchez leaves behind her husband, who was on the boat and survived, and their 6-year-old son, who was not on the boat, WABC reported.
ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.
