FROM FAMILY DINNER TO A DEADLY NIGHT ON BARNEGAT BAY: GRANDFATHER FACES HOMICIDE CHARGES AFTER BOAT CRASH
FROM FAMILY DINNER TO A DEADLY NIGHT ON BARNEGAT BAY: GRANDFATHER FACES HOMICIDE CHARGES AFTER BOAT CRASH
BARNEGAT BAY, NEW JERSEY — A family dinner at a waterfront restaurant ended in tragedy when a nighttime boat ride turned deadly, leaving two young children dead and their grandfather facing serious criminal charges.
According to prosecutors and court records, 64-year-old Stephen Schneider had been with his family at MJ’s Restaurant Bar & Grill before taking his 30-foot boat onto Barnegat Bay with his grandchildren aboard.
The children, 9-year-old Mya Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Golabek, were Jennifer Golabek’s only children.
A NIGHTTIME BOAT RIDE TURNS CATASTROPHIC
Schneider reportedly left the area aboard his boat at around 9 p.m.
Authorities allege he had consumed alcohol during dinner and was impaired when he took control of the vessel.
As the boat traveled through the bay in darkness, it struck a wooden channel marker.
The violent collision threw Mya and Sigmund into the water.
Schneider and his wife pulled the children from the bay and attempted to get them back aboard the boat as emergency responders were called.
Both children were transported to a hospital but ultimately died.
POLICE SAY ALCOHOL PLAYED A ROLE
Investigators allege Schneider was operating the vessel while impaired.
According to reported court documents, Schneider told investigators he had consumed three beers over approximately two hours during dinner.
Authorities later determined that his level of impairment affected his judgment, coordination, alertness and ability to react.
The investigation is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the decision to operate the boat at night, the amount of alcohol consumed and the conditions on the water at the time of the crash.
GRANDFATHER SURRENDERS TO POLICE
Schneider later voluntarily surrendered to authorities and was taken to Ocean County Jail.
He faces charges including second-degree vessel homicide/death by vessel, along with allegations related to operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation.
The charges stem from the deaths of his two grandchildren.
Schneider is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A MOTHER LEFT WITHOUT HER ONLY CHILDREN
The legal case now unfolding is only part of the tragedy.
For Jennifer Golabek, the crash meant losing both of her children in the same night.
Mya was 9.
Sigmund was 7.
They had been spending time with their family before the boat ride that ended in disaster.
What began as an ordinary evening together became a devastating chain of events that left two children dead and a family permanently changed.
A dinner. A nighttime boat ride. One collision—and a mother left to grieve the loss of both of her children.
