THE LAST PEOPLE TO SEE STEPHEN SCHNEIDER BEFORE THE BOAT TRIP COULD HOLD A CRUCIAL PIECE OF THE TIMELINE

The people who shared a dinner table with Stephen Schneider before the fatal boat trip could become important witnesses as investigators reconstruct the hours leading up to the Barnegat Bay crash.

Schneider had dinner with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren before the family headed out on the water.

According to court documents, Schneider told police he consumed three beers over roughly two hours before operating the boat. Reports have identified the drinks as two Guinness beers and one Miller Lite.

Then came the toxicology result.

THE 0.16 BAC

Prosecutors say Schneider’s blood-alcohol concentration was approximately 0.16, about twice New Jersey’s legal limit for operating a vessel.

That figure has become a major part of the case.

But investigators still need to establish what happened between the first drink at dinner and the moment Schneider took control of the 28-foot Tidewater Custom 280.

That is where witnesses from the restaurant could become important.

WHAT DID THEY SEE?

Family members who were at the table may be able to provide information about when Schneider drank, how long he remained at the restaurant and how he appeared before leaving.

Restaurant employees and other people nearby may also have seen portions of the evening.

Records, surveillance footage and witness statements could potentially help investigators build a more precise timeline.

The issue is not simply how many beers Schneider says he consumed.

It is also when those drinks were consumed and how much time passed before the boat entered Barnegat Bay.

MINUTES BEFORE THE CRASH

The crash occurred around 9 p.m. on July 19, when Schneider’s boat struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker.

His 9-year-old granddaughter, Mya, and 7-year-old grandson, Sigmund, were thrown from the vessel. Both children were wearing life jackets.

A frantic 911 call made immediately afterward captured the family’s desperate efforts to locate and rescue the children in the darkness.

Schneider later entered the water during the search.

NOW THE ENTIRE EVENING IS UNDER SCRUTINY

The dinner may have lasted only a couple of hours.

But those hours could contain critical pieces of evidence.

Who saw Schneider order the drinks?

When was his final drink served?

How long did he remain at the restaurant?

What did witnesses notice about his condition before he left?

And how much time passed between dinner and the collision?

Those questions could help investigators compare Schneider’s account with the physical and toxicological evidence.

Schneider is facing charges including two counts of death by vessel, operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation.

His defense has disputed aspects of the prosecution’s case, and the legal process is ongoing.

For investigators, however, reconstructing the timeline may be crucial.

Because the most important clue may not have been found on the boat at all — it could have been sitting at the dinner table hours before the crash.