“THE FIREFIGHTERS JUMPED RIGHT IN”: WITNESS RECALLS DESPERATE CPR EFFORT TO SAVE 7-YEAR-OLD BOY AFTER BARNEGAT BAY CRASH

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY — A summer evening on the Jersey Shore turned into a frantic rescue operation when a 30-foot boat crashed into a channel marker in Barnegat Bay, sending two young children into the water.

Among the victims was 7-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek.

A local official who witnessed the emergency response has described the desperate efforts by first responders to save the boy after he was pulled from the bay.

FIRST RESPONDERS RUSHED INTO THE WATER

The crash happened shortly after 9 p.m. July 19 in Barnegat Bay near Berkeley Township.

According to authorities, the boat struck a channel marker, throwing Sigmund and his 9-year-old sister, Mya Bella Golabek, overboard.

The children were eventually recovered from the water as emergency crews raced to the scene.

A Berkeley Township councilman who witnessed the response described firefighters immediately entering the water and working alongside other rescuers.

The situation was chaotic.

Every second mattered.

CPR BEGAN ON THE DOCK

After Sigmund was brought out of the water, first responders began emergency lifesaving measures.

The boy was still wearing a life jacket, and rescuers worked quickly to remove it so they could perform CPR.

The witness recalled firefighters cutting away the life jacket as they attempted to revive the child.

The rescue effort continued as emergency personnel performed CPR and tried to stabilize Sigmund before transporting him for medical treatment.

Despite those efforts, the 7-year-old boy could not be saved.

His sister, Mya, also died following the crash.

TWO CHILDREN NEVER MADE IT HOME

Mya and Sigmund were siblings who were described by their family as exceptionally close.

Mya, 9, was remembered for her love of art, sports, swimming and crafts.

Sigmund, 7, enjoyed baseball, basketball and swimming and loved spending time with his family and friends.

Their deaths transformed what should have been a family evening on the water into an unimaginable tragedy.

INVESTIGATORS TURN TO THE BOAT OPERATOR

The investigation later focused on the children’s grandfather, 64-year-old Stephen Schneider.

New Jersey authorities allege Schneider was operating the vessel while under the influence when it struck the channel marker.

He subsequently surrendered to police and was taken into custody.

Schneider faces serious charges, including two counts related to second-degree vessel homicide/death by vessel, along with boating-under-the-influence and reckless-operation charges.

The charges are allegations, and Schneider is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

THE CHANNEL MARKER IS ALSO PART OF THE INVESTIGATION

The condition and visibility of the channel marker have also attracted attention.

The Berkeley Township official who witnessed the aftermath said the marker’s light was functioning on the night of the collision.

Investigators will ultimately have to reconstruct the circumstances leading up to the impact, including the boat’s course, speed, visibility, operating conditions and the alleged impairment of the person at the helm.

Authorities have not publicly released every detail of that reconstruction.

A DESPERATE FIGHT THAT ENDED IN HEARTBREAK

For the first responders at the scene, the mission was simple: save the children.

They entered the water.

They pulled the victims to safety.

They began CPR.

They fought to keep two young lives from slipping away.

But despite the extraordinary emergency response, neither child survived.

The image of firefighters cutting away a life jacket and beginning CPR on a 7-year-old boy captures the human reality behind the criminal investigation.

This was not simply a boating accident recorded in a police report.

It was a family watching rescuers fight desperately for two children who should have been going home that night.

THE QUESTIONS NOW MOVE TO COURT

As the criminal case proceeds, prosecutors will be expected to establish what happened before the boat struck the marker and whether Schneider’s alleged impairment and conduct meet the legal requirements for the charges against him.

For Mya and Sigmund’s family, however, the courtroom cannot change what happened in the bay.

Two children went into the water.

First responders did everything they could to bring them back.

And despite their efforts, Mya was 9 and Sigmund was 7 when their lives came to a tragic end.

This report describes witness accounts and allegations reported in connection with the Barnegat Bay crash. Criminal charges against Stephen Schneider are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.