THE THIRD BOTTLE WASN’T THE LAST? STEPHEN SCHNEIDER’S 0.16% BAC PUTS HIS ENTIRE TIMELINE UNDER SCRUTINY

Stephen Schneider told police he had consumed three beers during dinner. But after a blood test reportedly recorded a BAC of approximately 0.16%, investigators began examining every detail of the hours leading up to the boat crash.

Schneider, 64, was dining with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren at MJ’s Restaurant in Bayville, New Jersey, before taking the children out on his boat.

According to court documents, Schneider told investigators that he had consumed three beers over roughly two hours.

That account has now become an important part of the investigation.

THE NIGHT HAD TO BE RECONSTRUCTED

The July 19 incident happened at around 9 p.m. in Barnegat Bay when Schneider’s boat struck a wooden channel marker.

The impact sent his grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek, into the water.

Both children were wearing life jackets and were pulled from the water by Schneider and his wife before being taken to a hospital. They later passed away.

Investigators have been working to establish what happened during the hours immediately before the collision.

That means examining Schneider’s account alongside other available evidence, including the restaurant timeline, witness statements and the circumstances surrounding the boat trip.

THEN CAME THE 0.16% RESULT

A blood sample obtained after the crash reportedly showed a BAC of approximately 0.16%.

Prosecutors have described that level as roughly twice New Jersey’s 0.08% legal threshold and argued that it demonstrated significant impairment.

But the timing of the blood draw is also important.

Schneider’s defense has indicated that it intends to investigate the BAC evidence, including having its own expert examine the result.

That means the number is now likely to become one of the central issues in the case.

THREE BEERS — AND A MUCH BIGGER QUESTION

Schneider’s statement was specific: three beers over approximately two hours.

The reported BAC result has created a stark contrast between his recollection of the evening and the scientific evidence prosecutors say was obtained afterward.

That does not automatically establish that he consumed more than three drinks.

Instead, investigators and attorneys must consider the complete timeline — when the drinks were ordered, when they were consumed, when Schneider left the restaurant and how much time passed before the blood sample was taken.

Every minute could matter.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE BOAT LEFT?

The restaurant was not an isolated setting.

Schneider was there with several members of his family, meaning investigators may have access to multiple accounts of the evening.

Restaurant records and witness testimony could potentially help establish the sequence of events before Schneider took control of the boat.

Meanwhile, investigators are also examining the vessel, the channel marker and the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Schneider reportedly told police he was traveling at about 20 mph and saw the marker only shortly before impact. His attorney has also raised questions about whether the marker was properly illuminated that night.

THE TIMELINE MAY HOLD THE KEY

The case is no longer simply about what Schneider remembers drinking.

It is about whether his account can be reconciled with the evidence collected afterward.

Three beers. A reported 0.16% BAC. A nighttime boat trip. And a collision with a channel marker.

As the legal process continues, investigators will be looking at the entire timeline — from the first drink at MJ’s Restaurant to the final moments before the boat struck the marker.

And for the families involved, those unanswered questions remain painfully important.