FROM FAMILY DINNER TO A FATAL NIGHT ON BARNEGAT BAY: GRANDFATHER FACES HOMICIDE CHARGES AFTER DEADLY CRASH

BAYVILLE, NEW JERSEY — What began as an ordinary family dinner ended with two children dead, their grandfather behind bars and a grieving family demanding answers.

On July 19, 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund “Siggy” Paul Golabek, were aboard their grandfather’s 30-foot boat when it slammed into a wooden channel marker in Barnegat Bay.

According to court documents, the children had been at MJ’s Restaurant with their parents and grandparents earlier that evening. After dinner, Mya and Sigmund wanted to return to their grandparents’ Bayville home by boat, so they went with their grandparents while their parents took a separate boat.

A NIGHTTIME TRIP TURNS CATASTROPHIC

The boat, a 30-foot Tidewater 280, was traveling through the bay at approximately 9 p.m. when it struck the channel marker.

The impact sent both children into the dark water.

Mya and Sigmund were wearing life jackets when they were found face-down and unresponsive. Their grandparents pulled them from the water and attempted to help before emergency responders arrived.

Despite desperate rescue efforts, both children later died at the hospital.

Their deaths devastated their parents, who lost both of their children in the same night.

INVESTIGATORS ALLEGE SCHNEIDER WAS IMPAIRED

The case took a major turn weeks after the crash.

Authorities allege that 64-year-old Stephen Schneider was impaired by alcohol while operating the boat.

According to court documents, Schneider told investigators he had consumed three beers during the evening. His blood-alcohol result was redacted from the publicly available documents, but New Jersey State Police reportedly determined that his ability to operate safely was significantly impaired by alcohol.

Investigators said his alertness, judgment, coordination, perception and reaction time were markedly affected.

Schneider now faces two counts of second-degree reckless vessel homicide, along with charges for operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.

FROM WATERFRONT HOME TO OCEAN COUNTY JAIL

Schneider voluntarily surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody.

The arrest transformed the case from a devastating boating accident into a criminal prosecution in which prosecutors will have to prove that Schneider’s alleged impairment and reckless operation caused the deaths of his grandchildren.

The tragedy has also drawn attention because of the close relationship between the victims and the accused.

These were not passengers he barely knew.

They were his grandchildren.

TWO CHILDREN REMEMBERED

Mya and Sigmund were remembered by their family as siblings who shared an exceptionally close bond.

Mya was described as an energetic, athletic and creative girl who loved softball, basketball, swimming, the beach, crafting and drawing.

Siggy was remembered as a shy but adventurous boy who loved baseball, basketball, swimming and animals.

Their family described them as best friends who shared countless adventures and memories.

Now, instead of watching the siblings grow up together, their parents are left mourning both children.

A CASE THAT WILL NOW PLAY OUT IN COURT

The investigation has raised difficult questions about what happened during the hours between the family dinner and the crash—and whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

For prosecutors, the central issue will be whether Schneider knowingly operated a large vessel while impaired and whether his actions amounted to criminally reckless conduct.

For the family, the legal arguments cannot change the most painful fact of all.

Mya and Sigmund are gone.

Stephen Schneider is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

But as the criminal case moves forward, investigators and prosecutors will reconstruct the final hours of a family evening that began with dinner and ended with two young lives lost beneath the darkness of Barnegat Bay.

A family went out to dinner together. Hours later, two children were dead—and their grandfather was facing homicide charges.