The captain of a boat that capsized near Liberty Island in New York Harbor, killing a woman and a 5-month-old girl, has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, police said.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, of Manhattan, was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday and charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, the NYPD said.
Police received a 911 call at about 10:25 p.m. Saturday reporting an overturned vessel near Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, according to the NYPD. The department’s Harbor Unit, SCUBA Team and Aviation responded to the scene.
Twelve people had been pulled from the water before police arrived, the NYPD said. Divers later located a 27-year-old woman and a 5-month-old girl in the water. Both were taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition and were later pronounced dead, police said. Their identities are pending family notification, an NYPD spokesperson said. Police have not confirmed whether they are related.
A total of 14 people were on board the vessel, according to police. Twelve were rescued, including 11 who were saved by the captain and crew of the first boat to arrive on the scene — a hot tub boat called See the City II — according to the company’s owner, Adam Schwartz.
“I saw three helicopters, two active boats on the water, and just a lot of NYU (Langone hospital) ambulances, cops, firefighters, trucks,” witness Madeleine Montero told FreedomNewsTV.
CNN affiliate WABC reported the capsized boat was a 22-foot bowrider, a common type of recreational powerboat. CNN has reached out to authorities for more information about the vessel.
The US Coast Guard is also investigating what caused the boat to capsize.
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