THE LAST BOAT RIDE: TWO CHILDREN’S LIVES ENDED IN A TRAGIC BARNEGAT BAY CRASH

BARNEGAT BAY, N.J. — For 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund “Siggy” Paul Golabek, what began as a family evening on the water ended in a tragedy that devastated everyone who loved them.

The children were spending time with their grandparents and parents on July 19 when they boarded their grandfather Stephen Schneider’s boat for the trip back from dinner.

Neither child could have known it would be their final boat ride.

According to court documents, Mya and Siggy were seated at the front of the vessel and were wearing life jackets when the boat struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker at about 9 p.m.

A FAMILY EVENING TURNED TRAGIC

The family had gathered for dinner at MJ’s Restaurant Bar & Grill in Bayville.

The children and their parents had arrived in a separate boat, but Mya and Siggy planned to return with their grandparents.

Prosecutors allege Schneider was operating the boat while impaired. His reported blood alcohol level was 0.16%, approximately twice New Jersey’s legal limit, according to authorities. Schneider allegedly told police he had consumed three beers over about two hours before the crash.

Schneider has been charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide, along with operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.

He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

THE MOMENTS AFTER THE COLLISION

The crash threw both children into the dark water.

Their grandparents and others on the boat immediately tried to locate and rescue them. The children were eventually pulled from the water and CPR was attempted before they were transported to a hospital.

Both children later died from their injuries.

The newly reported details have made the case even more heartbreaking: Mya and Siggy were not simply passengers caught in a boating tragedy. They were two young siblings enjoying what was supposed to be an ordinary family evening.

A CASE NOW FOCUSED ON THE CRASH

The prosecution is pointing to Schneider’s alleged intoxication as a central part of its case.

The defense, meanwhile, has indicated that it intends to examine the circumstances surrounding the collision, including whether the channel marker was properly visible and what Schneider could see from the helm. A judge ultimately released Schneider under conditions that temporarily prohibit him from operating a boat or motor vehicle while he completes a court-ordered assessment.

Those issues are likely to become important as the legal case moves forward.

TWO CHILDREN WHO SHOULD HAVE HAD A FUTURE

Mya was only nine.

Siggy was seven.

They should have had years ahead of them — birthdays, school milestones, friendships, family vacations and countless ordinary moments that families often take for granted.

Instead, their parents are left with memories of two children whose lives ended during what was supposed to be a simple family outing.

Their deaths have also left their grandfather facing serious criminal charges over a tragedy that prosecutors say could have been prevented.

For Mya and Siggy’s family, the most painful part is knowing how ordinary that evening began — and how suddenly everything changed.

Two children boarded a boat expecting another family memory. They never made it home.