🕊️💔 Young Queens Mother and 5-Month-Old Daughter Lost in New York Harbor Boat Tragedy

NEW YORK — A Queens family is mourning the heartbreaking loss of a young mother and her infant daughter after a boat carrying 14 people capsized near the Statue of Liberty Saturday night.

Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, were among a group of family and friends who had gone onto the water to celebrate a birthday. The small motorboat overturned near Liberty Island at approximately 10:20 p.m., triggering a major emergency response involving the NYPD, FDNY and U.S. Coast Guard.

Twelve people survived the incident, including Sara’s husband and Antonella’s father, Andres Garcia. Sara and her baby were rescued and transported in critical condition to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where both were later pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

Now Andres is facing the unimaginable task of grieving his wife and infant daughter while caring for the couple’s 6-year-old son, Salvador, who was not aboard the boat that night. 💙

The timing has made the family’s grief even more painful. Salvador’s birthday is reportedly this week. Instead of preparing for a celebration, his family is now preparing for a funeral.

PH๏τos shared through a fundraiser show the family during happier moments. One image captures Sara smiling beside Andres and young Salvador while she was heavily pregnant. Other pH๏τographs show the mother, father and children enjoying their life together.

Sara and Andres had moved to the United States from Colombia and settled in College Point, Queens. 🇨🇴❤️🇺🇸 Andres’ employer described him as a hardworking man dedicated to supporting his wife and children. The family reportedly had no other relatives living in the United States.

Following the tragedy, Andres’ coworkers organized a fundraiser to help support him and Salvador as they deal with both the emotional and financial challenges ahead.

Authorities are also investigating the circumstances surrounding the capsizing. The vessel was a 2019 21-foot Yamaha motorboat that can typically carry up to 10 people. Officials said that under the conditions at the time, it should not have been carrying more than five pᴀssengers. Fourteen people were aboard when it overturned.

The boat’s operator, 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez, was arrested and initially charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment. He has since been transferred into federal custody while authorities investigate whether the vessel was being operated as an illegal charter.

The U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies are continuing to examine what led to the tragedy, including whether overcrowding contributed to the capsizing.

For Andres and Salvador, however, the investigation cannot change what has already been lost.

Sara was a beloved wife and mother. Antonella was a cherished baby girl who had only just begun her life.

And now a 6-year-old boy faces his birthday without his mother and baby sister beside him. 🕯️💔