Captain charged after woman, 27, and five-month-old die in boat capsizing near Statue of Liberty
A boat captain has been arrested after a woman and a five-month-old girl died when a vessel overturned in New York Harbor.
Manuel Hernandez, 46, faces 13 counts of reckless endangerment following the incident on Saturday evening, according to a New York Police Department.
Per The Guardian, the two victims were among those caught up in the capsizing near Liberty Island.
Police divers later recovered them from the water, and both were taken to a Brooklyn hospital in critical condition before they died.
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What happened in the New York Harbor boat accident?
Police received a 911 call at approximately 10:25pm on Saturday reporting that a vessel had overturned in the area.
The NYPD's Harbor Unit, SCUBA Team and Aviation unit were sent to the scene as emergency crews searched for people who had ended up in the water.
A police helicopter was used during the response, while divers located the 27-year-old woman and five-month-old girl.
Both were taken to hospital in critical condition but died after arriving at NYU Langone in Brooklyn.
Their names have not been released.
A total of 12 other people were rescued from the vessel before police arrived, according to the NYPD spokesperson. They were subsequently transported to hospitals.
Hernandez was taken into custody several hours after the initial emergency call.
The charges against him relate to reckless endangerment, with 13 counts filed following the capsizing.
Police have not provided further details about what caused the boat to overturn or what happened aboard the vessel before it went into the water.
The incident took place within the area covered by the NYPD's 1st Precinct, according to the department.
UNILAD has contacted the NYPD for comment.
This is a breaking news story, more on this as we get it.
Thomas Bamford