“I ONLY HAD THREE BEERS”: 0.16 BAC BECOMES KEY EVIDENCE IN STEPHEN SCHNEIDER CASE

Stephen Schneider, 64, told investigators he had consumed three beers before his boat crashed into a channel marker on Barnegat Bay on July 19, killing his two grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Golabek.

But prosecutors later revealed that a blood test showed a 0.16% BAC — twice New Jersey’s legal limit for operating a vessel.

THE BLOOD TEST BECAME A MAJOR PIECE OF EVIDENCE

According to reporting on the case, investigators obtained a warrant to collect Schneider’s blood after the nighttime crash.

The toxicology result eventually became public during his detention hearing and sharply contrasted with Schneider’s account that he had consumed only three beers during dinner.

Authorities said the level indicated significant alcohol impairment, while Schneider now faces two counts of reckless vessel homicide, along with charges related to operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation.

WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?

After a family dinner, Mya and Sigmund reportedly chose to ride back with their grandparents.

At around 9 p.m., Schneider’s 30-foot boat struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay. The impact threw both children into the water. They were wearing life jackets, and Schneider and his wife pulled them from the bay and attempted CPR, but both children later died at the hospital.

 THE DEFENSE IS STILL CHALLENGING THE CASE

The 0.16% result is now central to the prosecution’s argument, but the case is not over.

Schneider’s defense has questioned aspects of the crash investigation, including whether the channel marker was sufficiently visible at night, and has indicated that the blood-alcohol evidence may be challenged.

A judge ultimately released Schneider pending trial, with conditions that include temporarily prohibiting him from operating a boat or motor vehicle.

Two children lost their lives in a nighttime boating crash. Now, the difference between “three beers” and a 0.16% BAC has become one of the most closely scrutinized pieces of evidence in the criminal case.

The defense and prosecution are likely to continue fighting over what the toxicology evidence actually proves as the case moves forward.