NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A speedboat that around the Statue of Liberty, drowning a baby girl and her mother, was illegally chartered, overcrowded and operating with a slew of safety violations, federal prosecutors said Monday.
The boat鈥檚 pilot, Manuel Hernandez, was charged with causing the deaths of 5-month old Antonella Garcia and 27-year-old Sara Sanchez through misconduct or neglect.
Hernandez wasn鈥檛 licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard, wasn鈥檛 aware of basic safety rules and told investigators he had borrowed his friend鈥檚 personal vessel for the excursion in New York Harbor, prosecutors said.
Antonella wasn’t wearing a life preserver because the boat didn’t have any for small children, prosecutors said. Instead, Hernandez told Sanchez she needed to wear a life vest and hold the infant throughout the hourslong tour, a violation of federal regulations, prosecutors said.
Hernandez, 46, of Manville, New Jersey, wiped his eyes as he arrived for his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court. He was not required to enter a plea and was released on $50,000 bail. He and his lawyer, , declined to comment as she led him to a waiting vehicle.
The tour was organized through Zeus Luxury Rental Inc., which had a boat catch fire last year during a birthday charter cruise on Long Island Sound. A Coast Guard investigator said in Hernandez鈥檚 criminal complaint that the company does not appear to have applied for Coast Guard licensing.
Messages seeking comment were sent to a phone number and email address listed on Zeus Luxury鈥檚 website. The voicemail box for the phone number was full, according to an automated recording.
Charter company had a boat burst into flames last year
Authorities said the 21-foot Yamaha AR210 had 14 people aboard 鈥� well over its 10 person capacity 鈥� when it swamped and sank around 10:20 p.m. Saturday as Hernandez made a U-turn in choppy waters possibly caused by the wake of a larger vessel.
The boat was later pulled from the water and taken to a New York Police Department facility.
Zeus Luxury advertises its services on social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, marketing itself as 鈥渙ne of the leading companies in limousine, party bus, and yacht rentals in the tri-state area鈥� and touting a fleet of vehicles including such high-end brands as Mercedes, Hummer, Rolls-Royce, and Cadillac.
According to his criminal complaint, Hernandez told investigators he had worked for Zeus Luxury on a freelance or contract basis since last year, starting as a limousine driver. He said that twice recently he used his personal boat, a slightly larger Yamaha AR250, but used a friend鈥檚 boat on Saturday because his needed repairs, the complaint said.
In June 2025, a boat on a company-organized charter cruise burst into flames near the Bronx. All 22 passengers survived. Some were pulled from the water and others swam to safety on nearby Hart Island. Three passengers were injured, authorities said. Loriann Garcia went into cardiac arrest and is now suing the company. Two others had severe burns.
The pilot of that boat, Joshua Brito, was indicted on charges including vehicular assault, reckless endangerment and operating a vessel while intoxicated. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bail.
鈥淭his is just a fly-by-night company,鈥� Garcia鈥檚 lawyer, Rose Day, said. The vessel Garcia was on didn鈥檛 have life preservers and Zeus Luxury wasn’t properly insured, she said.
鈥淗ere we are, same thing, one year later. Same company, same reckless acts,鈥� Day said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 shocking that this has happened and sickening at the same time.鈥�
A mother and daughter gone, a partner and father left grieving
Saturday’s tour began around 7 p.m. and the vessel capsized more than three hours into its journey. Hernandez tried to accelerate to pass through the swell, but water swamped the bow and the boat immediately capsized, prosecutors said.
Hernandez admitted to investigators that had never sought required licensing and claimed he was unaware it was needed, according to the complaint.
Hernandez said he capped trips using his personal boat at 12 passengers, but that he did not know the maximum capacity for the boat he used on Saturday. Hernandez said he thought there would be 12 passengers on the tour but ended up agreeing to take 13, the complaint said.
An online campaign to help Sanchez’s partner, Andres Garcia, pay for funeral and other expenses had topped $25,000 by Tuesday afternoon. Garcia also was on the boat.
Sanchez’s neighbor, Diego Naranjo, said he first met her last spring when her son threw a ball into their Queens backyard. After recovering the ball, Naranjo invited her son to play on a trampoline with his children.
鈥淭hey were really nice people,” Naranjo said. 鈥淵ou can see when a person is noble.鈥�
___
This story has been updated to correct that the boat was a Yamaha, not a Bayliner.
___
Turbay reported from Little Rock, Arkansas
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
