In the moments before the boat set off from shore, Elizabeth Velez was handed the baby, Antonella Garcia. The five-month-old girl’s mother, Sara Sanchez, was trying to get a life jacket for her child. But prosecutors would later allege that there were no child-sized life jackets available on the vessel.
And none of the 14 friends on board were required to wear them.
“She was a very happy girl. She didn’t cry the whole way,” Elizabeth Velez told NBC New York. She was describing the baby who was killed alongside her mother just moments later.
The tragedy unfolded when the motorboat overturned off the coast of Liberty Island late Saturday night.
The group onboard included the baby’s father, Sanchez’s 29-year-old husband Andres Garcia. They had all gathered to celebrate the birthday of someone from their church congregation. It was supposed to be a joyful outing.
“It was a celebration, and it ended in tragedy,” Velez said.
“We celebrated, we sang happy birthday to the person, and well, it was very, very nice,” she recalled. That shared joy lasted for about three hours into their trip. Then, without warning, everything changed.
Just before 10:30 p. m. , the boat was caught in a swell.
It overturned in an instant.
“That current came, and it was strong. I closed my eyes, and there was no time for anything,” said Velez.
When she finally surfaced, she could see the rest of their group. But she could not see Sanchez or Antonella.
The boat’s captain, Manuel Hernandez, is accused of knowingly operating the vessel with an infant on board without ensuring the child was wearing a life vest. Prosecutors made that allegation on Monday.
The survivors were rescued from New York Harbor on Saturday night. The vessel had a capacity of 10 people. It was dangerously overcrowded, according to prosecutors.
There were no child- or infant-sized life vests on board.
Hernandez was charged with two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death. He was not required to enter a plea. He was released on $50,000 bail.
If convicted on both charges, Hernandez faces up to 20 years in prison.
