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August 2026 The U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York and New York City Police Department announced that the operator of the 22-foot powerboat that capsized in a tragic boating accident off Liberty Island on August 8, 2026 has been charged with negligently causing the death of a 5-month-old infant and a 27-year-old woman.
The U.S. Attorney's Office emphasized that federal regulations and maritime safety protocols exist to protect the lives and well-being of passengers on commercial vessels, and that the the defendant allegedly flouted those regulations when he transported paying customers on a commercial vessel without appropriate licenses, overcrowded the vessel, and took on a five-month-old infant passenger, with no infant life vests onboard. The U.S. Attorney's Office expressed mourning for the tragic drowning deaths of the infant and her mother and urged would-be tour operators and the public to observe all safety protocols for commercial vessels.
The U.S. Coast Guard also stated that illegal charter operations gamble with human life, and in this case, the alleged conduct led to an unthinkable tragedy. The New York Police Department also stated that as alleged in the complaint, the operator of the charter boat showed a complete disregard for the safety of his passengers when he piloted an over-capacity boat without a license that capsized in the New York Harbor.
Per the criminal complaint, (U.S. Attorney's Office Complaint, August 10, 2026), the captain was operating a Yamaha AR210 (the “Vessel”) when it capsized in New York Harbor, resulting in the deaths of a five-month-old infant (“Victim-1”) and a 27-year-old woman (“Victim-2”). At the time of the capsizing, the pilot and operator (captain) of the vessel was conducting a tour for paying customers that had been arranged through a tour operations company.
The captain's negligent actions and omissions caused the capsizing and deaths of both victims. At the time of the capsizing, he was operating the vessel with 14 people onboard, exceeding its maximum allowable capacity of 10 people, knowingly operating the vessel with an infant onboard, knowing that the infant was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) and that the vessel was not equipped with any child-or infant-sized PFDs, had not obtained a Merchant Mariner Credential, a required USCG certification to operate the Vessel with paying customers onboard, was operating the vessel without a valid U.S.C.G. Certificate of Inspection, which is required for a vessel to operate with paying customers onboard, and, in fact, the vessel was of a type and size that made it ineligible to receive a COI for the type of operation conducted by the captain/boat operator. Major causes of boating accidents .
All 14 people aboard the vessel were thrown overboard in the capsizing. Shortly afterward, other boats, including commercial vessels and vessels operated by the N.Y.P.D., the U.S.C.G., and the New York City Fire Department, responded to render emergency assistance.
Illegal passenger charters can be reported to the U.S. Coast Guard at https://www.p3tips.com/878. U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York - Press Release
The U.S. Coast Guard also stated that illegal charter operations gamble with human life, and in this case, the alleged conduct led to an unthinkable tragedy. The New York Police Department also stated that as alleged in the complaint, the operator of the charter boat showed a complete disregard for the safety of his passengers when he piloted an over-capacity boat without a license that capsized in the New York Harbor.
Per the criminal complaint, (U.S. Attorney's Office Complaint, August 10, 2026), the captain was operating a Yamaha AR210 (the “Vessel”) when it capsized in New York Harbor, resulting in the deaths of a five-month-old infant (“Victim-1”) and a 27-year-old woman (“Victim-2”). At the time of the capsizing, the pilot and operator (captain) of the vessel was conducting a tour for paying customers that had been arranged through a tour operations company.
The captain's negligent actions and omissions caused the capsizing and deaths of both victims. At the time of the capsizing, he was operating the vessel with 14 people onboard, exceeding its maximum allowable capacity of 10 people, knowingly operating the vessel with an infant onboard, knowing that the infant was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) and that the vessel was not equipped with any child-or infant-sized PFDs, had not obtained a Merchant Mariner Credential, a required USCG certification to operate the Vessel with paying customers onboard, was operating the vessel without a valid U.S.C.G. Certificate of Inspection, which is required for a vessel to operate with paying customers onboard, and, in fact, the vessel was of a type and size that made it ineligible to receive a COI for the type of operation conducted by the captain/boat operator. Major causes of boating accidents .
All 14 people aboard the vessel were thrown overboard in the capsizing. Shortly afterward, other boats, including commercial vessels and vessels operated by the N.Y.P.D., the U.S.C.G., and the New York City Fire Department, responded to render emergency assistance.
Illegal passenger charters can be reported to the U.S. Coast Guard at https://www.p3tips.com/878. U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York - Press Release
