Mom and baby daughter dead after boat capsizes near Statue of Liberty, captain arrested

John Annese, New York Daily News on Aug 9, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old daughter died, and 12 people needed rescuing, when their boat capsized in the waters off lower Manhattan near Liberty Island — and the captain has been arrested, police said Sunday.

The vessel, described by police sources as a 21-foot Yamaha boat, overturned just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

A passing boat helped rescue 12 people from the water before police arrived. NYPD divers found the woman and infant in critical condition in the water, cops said. They were rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn but could not be saved.

Two Coast Guard boats, four FDNY boats, two NYPD boats and an NYPD helicopter arrived to help with the rescue operations, according to a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

The 12 survivors were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Police charged the boat’s captain, Manuel Hernandez, 36, with 13 counts of reckless endangerment. He lives in Midtown, according to cops.

“Coast Guard Investigators are also determining whether the operation constitutes an illegal charter operation and are coordinating efforts in conjunction with NYPD,” Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist 3rd Class Breanna Boardman said.

________