THE HEARTBREAKING REASON TWO NJ SIBLINGS WERE ON THEIR GRANDFATHER’S BOAT BEFORE THE FATAL BARNEGAT BAY CRASH
New court documents have revealed a painful detail about the final hours of Mya Golabek, 9, and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund “Siggy” Golabek.
The siblings had attended dinner with their parents and grandparents at MJ’s Restaurant in Bayville on July 19. According to court documents, after dinner, Mya and Siggy wanted to return to their grandparents’ home, so they went aboard their grandfather Stephen Schneider’s boat while their parents traveled separately.
Later that evening, around 9 p.m., Schneider’s boat struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker on Barnegat Bay. The impact threw both children into the water. They were wearing life jackets, and Schneider and his wife pulled them from the water and attempted to help them before they were taken to a hospital, where both later died.
The case has since moved into the legal system. Schneider faces charges including two counts of reckless vessel homicide, operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation. Prosecutors have alleged that he was significantly impaired at the time of the crash.
A judge has since granted Schneider conditional release while the case proceeds. He is prohibited from operating a boat or motor vehicle pending further ᴀssessment, and his next court appearance is scheduled for September 15.
For Mya and Siggy’s family, one of the most painful details remains how ordinary the evening initially seemed. They were simply spending time together after a family dinner, before the journey home became a tragedy that changed their family forever.
Source: New York Post – Heartbreaking reason NJ kids were on grandpa’s boat
