“THE FIREMEN JUMPED RIGHT IN” — DESPERATE CPR EFFORTS FOLLOWED BARNEGAT BAY CRASH

A family boat trip on Barnegat Bay turned into a devastating emergency after a 30-foot vessel struck a channel marker and threw two young children into the water.

The children — 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek — were later pronounced dead at a hospital.

 FIRST RESPONDERS RUSHED TO HELP

Berkeley Township Councilman James Byrnes witnessed the emergency response and described the firefighters’ immediate reaction in stark terms:

“The firemen jumped right in.”

Byrnes said he saw a life jacket beside one of the children while CPR was being performed.

He explained that responders would naturally remove the jacket while attempting CPR.

The scene captured the desperate effort to save the children after they had been pulled from the dark water.

 WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?

According to New Jersey State Police, the crash occurred at approximately 9:09 p.m. on July 19.

The 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280, operated by Stephen Schneider, struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker in the Berkeley Township area.

The impact ejected both children into Barnegat Bay. Schneider and another adult passenger, Laurie Schneider, retrieved them from the water and brought them to shore.

Both children were taken to a hospital but could not be saved.

 SCHNEIDER NOW FACES CHARGES

The case has since taken a criminal turn.

Authorities allege that Schneider was impaired by alcohol when the crash occurred.

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

Schneider voluntarily surrendered to police.

The charges are allegations, and he remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

 A FAMILY TRIP THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY

Mya and Sigmund were siblings spending time with their grandparents.

What should have been an ordinary summer evening instead became a frantic rescue operation involving firefighters, police, medical personnel and members of the local community.

For those who witnessed the response, the memory of first responders immediately rushing toward the children is likely to remain for years.

ONE BOAT.

 ONE CHANNEL MARKER.

TWO CHILDREN THROWN INTO THE WATER.

 AND A DESPERATE CPR EFFORT THAT COULD NOT CHANGE THE OUTCOME.

The investigation and criminal case will now determine exactly what happened in the moments leading up to the collision.

Independent commentary based on publicly reported information and statements from authorities and eyewitnesses. Criminal charges are allegations, not convictions.