GRANDFATHER FACES UP TO 20 YEARS AFTER BEING INDICTED IN F@TAL BARNEGAT BAY BOAT CRASH THAT KI//ED TWO GRANDCHILDREN
GRANDFATHER FACES UP TO 20 YEARS AFTER BEING INDICTED IN F@TAL BARNEGAT BAY BOAT CRASH THAT KI//ED TWO GRANDCHILDREN
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The legal case against 64-year-old Stephen Schneider is moving forward after the grandfather was charged in connection with the Barnegat Bay boat crash that claimed the lives of his two grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund “Siggy” Paul Golabek.
Schneider is facing two counts of reckless vessel homicide, along with charges related to operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation. The homicide counts are second-degree offenses under New Jersey law and carry a potential maximum sentence of 10 years each if he is convicted.
A FAMILY BOAT TRIP ENDED IN TRAGEDY
The crash happened on July 19, 2026, in Barnegat Bay near Berkeley Township.
Schneider was operating a roughly 28-foot Tidewater boat when it struck a wooden channel marker shortly after 9 p.m.
The impact threw Mya and Sigmund from the vessel and into the water.
Schneider and his wife reportedly pulled the children from the bay and attempted CPR before the siblings were taken to a local hospital.
Both children later died.
The siblings were remembered by their family as exceptionally close.
Mya, 9, and Siggy, 7, were described as not only brother and sister but best friends, sharing adventures and countless memories together.
PROSECUTORS SAY SCHNEIDER WAS INTOXICATED
The most significant development in the case came when prosecutors disclosed Schneider’s alleged blood-alcohol level.
During a court hearing, prosecutors said his BAC was approximately 0.16% — twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08%.
Assistant prosecutor Kate Burke argued that the alleged level demonstrated the degree of impairment Schneider chose to operate the boat with.
Schneider had reportedly told police that he consumed three beers over approximately two hours during dinner with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.
The prosecution maintains that his decision to operate the vessel while allegedly impaired resulted in a catastrophic crash.
THE CHILDREN WERE WEARING LIFE JACKETS
According to reports, Mya and Sigmund were wearing life jackets when they were thrown into the water.
The force of the collision, however, left both children unresponsive.
Their deaths have intensified concerns about nighttime boating safety on Barnegat Bay, where authorities have investigated several fatal incidents involving boats striking channel markers this summer.
SCHNEIDER HAS BEEN RELEASED WHILE THE CASE CONTINUES
Despite prosecutors asking that Schneider remain detained, a judge granted him conditional release.
One factor was his lack of a criminal history.
Another was the extraordinary position taken by the children’s own parents.
Schneider’s attorney, William Cunningham, presented a letter from the children’s father asking that the grandfather be released.
The father described Schneider as a loving grandfather and generous man, emphasizing the role he had played in the family’s life.
The defense argued that Schneider’s presence was important to the grieving family and that he did not pose a continuing threat.
The judge ultimately allowed Schneider to await the next stages of the case outside jail.
He is prohibited from operating a boat or driving a vehicle pending further court evaluation.
THE DEFENSE IS ALSO QUESTIONING KEY EVIDENCE
Schneider’s attorney has indicated that the defense intends to investigate several aspects of the crash.
Among the questions raised is whether the channel marker was properly illuminated that night.
The defense has also indicated it wants an independent expert to examine the blood-alcohol evidence.
Those issues could become important as the case moves toward trial.
At this stage, the allegations remain allegations, and Schneider is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A SEPTEMBER COURT DATE LOOMS
Schneider is scheduled to return to court on September 15.
The upcoming hearing could provide additional information about the prosecution’s evidence, the defense strategy and the conditions surrounding his release.
For prosecutors, the case centers on an alleged decision to operate a boat while impaired.
For the defense, questions remain about the crash itself, the testing of Schneider’s BAC and the precise circumstances surrounding the channel marker collision.
For the family, however, the legal arguments cannot change the devastating result.
TWO CHILDREN. ONE FAMILY. A CASE THAT COULD LAST FOR YEARS.
Mya and Sigmund were the only children of Schneider’s daughter and her husband.
Their deaths transformed what was supposed to be a family outing into a tragedy that now stretches from the waters of Barnegat Bay into a New Jersey courtroom.
If convicted of the two second-degree reckless vessel homicide counts, Schneider could face up to 20 years in state prison in total, depending on how the sentences are imposed.
But before that can happen, prosecutors must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
The next major chapter begins September 15 — when Stephen Schneider returns to court and the case moves closer to trial.
For a grieving family, the question is no longer simply what happened on the water that night.
It is whether the courtroom can ultimately provide an answer to the tragedy that took Mya, 9, and Sigmund, 7, from their loved ones.
