GRIEVING FATHER ASKS JUDGE TO RELEASE GRANDFATHER AFTER FATAL BOAT CRASH

OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. — In an extraordinary courtroom moment, the father of two children killed in a Barnegat Bay boating crash asked a judge to release their grandfather while the criminal case against him moves forward.

Stephen Schneider, 64, is facing charges including reckless vessel homicide after prosecutors say his boat struck a channel marker on July 19, throwing his grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Golabek, into the water. Both children later died.

A FATHER’S EMOTIONAL LETTER

During Schneider’s detention hearing, his attorney, William Cunningham, read a letter submitted by the children’s parents.

The letter described Schneider as a loving grandfather and an important part of the family, despite the devastating circumstances surrounding the children’s deaths.

The father expressed gratitude for the role Schneider had played in his children’s lives and asked the court to allow him to return home while awaiting trial.

The request created an unusual courtroom situation: the parents of the two children who died were asking for the release of the man accused in connection with the fatal crash.

PROSECUTORS POINT TO A 0.16% BAC

Prosecutors argued that Schneider should remain detained, citing evidence that his blood-alcohol concentration was approximately 0.16% after the crash — twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08%.

According to court documents, Schneider had consumed three beers at dinner before taking the boat out with his grandchildren.

Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Kate Burke argued that the alleged level of impairment was particularly significant because Schneider was operating a vessel when the collision occurred.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHANNEL MARKER

Schneider’s defense has also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the crash.

His attorney told the court that it was not yet clear whether the channel marker struck by the boat was illuminated at the time.

That issue could become important as investigators reconstruct the crash and examine visibility conditions on Barnegat Bay that night.

JUDGE ORDERS CONDITIONAL RELEASE

Superior Court Judge Wendel Daniels ultimately granted Schneider conditional release.

As part of the conditions, Schneider is prohibited from operating a boat or motor vehicle while he undergoes a court-ordered assessment.

His attorney also told the court that Schneider would never operate a boat or consume alcohol again if released.

Schneider’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 15.

A FAMILY CAUGHT BETWEEN GRIEF AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM

The case has placed the Golabek family in an extraordinarily painful position.

Two young children have died, while the man facing criminal charges is also a grandfather whom their parents describe as deeply important to the family.

The parents’ request for his release does not resolve the criminal allegations. Schneider remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

For now, prosecutors and defense attorneys are preparing for the next stage of the case, where questions about alcohol, visibility, the channel marker and the moments leading up to the collision are likely to remain central.

The parents are mourning two children while simultaneously asking the court not to keep their grandfather behind bars. As the case moves toward its next hearing, the family must confront both an unbearable loss and an increasingly complicated legal battle.