FINAL MOMENTS: WHAT HAPPENED SECONDS BEFORE MYA AND SIGGY WERE THROWN INTO THE WATER?

BARNEGAT BAY, N.J. — New details about the final moments before a devastating Barnegat Bay boat crash are drawing renewed attention to the positions of two young children aboard the vessel.

Mya Golabek, 9, and her brother, Sigmund “Siggy” Golabek, 7, were reportedly seated near the front of their grandfather Stephen Schneider’s boat when the vessel struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker at approximately 9 p.m. on July 19.

According to court documents cited by ABC7, both children were wearing life jackets and were seated at the front of the boat when the collision occurred.

THE CHILDREN WERE AT THE BOW

Investigators are working to reconstruct what happened in the seconds before the impact.

Schneider reportedly told police that he was traveling at approximately 20 mph and saw the channel marker only at the last moment.

The boat struck the marker, throwing the children into the water.

Their position at the front of the vessel could become an important part of the reconstruction as investigators examine the boat’s movements, visibility conditions and the location of the marker.

WHAT COULD SCHNEIDER SEE?

The defense has already raised questions about the channel marker itself, including whether it was illuminated at the time of the crash.

Those questions could become significant as the case moves forward, particularly alongside prosecutors’ allegations that Schneider was impaired.

Schneider reportedly told investigators that he had consumed three beers over approximately two hours before the crash. Prosecutors later cited a blood-alcohol level of 0.16%, twice New Jersey’s legal limit.

THE CHILDREN WERE WEARING LIFE JACKETS

Despite wearing life jackets, Mya and Siggy were thrown from the vessel during the collision.

Schneider and others attempted to rescue the children from the water before emergency responders arrived.

The two children later died, leaving their parents and relatives facing an unimaginable loss.

A CASE NOW CENTERED ON THOSE FINAL SECONDS

Schneider is facing charges including two counts of reckless vessel homicide, operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel. He has been released under conditions while the case proceeds.

His defense has indicated that the circumstances surrounding the channel marker and its visibility will be examined.

For investigators, the central questions remain: What could Schneider see from the helm? What was visible from the bow? How fast was the boat traveling? And what happened in the seconds before impact?

The answers could become crucial as prosecutors and defense attorneys reconstruct the tragic July 19 crash.

Two children were sitting at the front of their grandfather’s boat, wearing life jackets and expecting a family evening on the water. Moments later, everything changed.