THE LAST BOAT RIDE: TWO CHILDREN DEAD AFTER GRANDFATHER’S NIGHTTIME CRASH

BARNEGAT BAY, NEW JERSEY — What began as a family evening ended in a tragedy that has left two parents grieving the loss of their children.

Mya Golabek, 9, and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund, were aboard their grandfather’s boat when it struck a channel marker in the darkness of Barnegat Bay, sending both children into the water.

They were supposed to be heading home.

They never made it.

A FAMILY DINNER BEFORE THE CRASH

Earlier that evening, Mya and Sigmund had been with their family at MJ’s Restaurant Bar & Grill in Bayville.

After dinner, the children wanted to return to their grandparents’ home.

Their grandfather, 64-year-old Stephen Schneider, took them aboard his approximately 30-foot boat for the trip across the bay.

What happened next would change the family forever.

According to court documents, the boat struck a wooden channel marker at around 9 p.m.

The impact threw both children overboard.

TWO CHILDREN DISAPPEARED INTO THE DARK WATER

Mya and Sigmund were wearing life jackets when they entered the water.

Schneider and his wife reportedly pulled the children from the bay and attempted CPR before emergency crews arrived.

Despite efforts to save them, both children died.

For their parents, the evening that was supposed to end with their children safely coming home instead ended with an unimaginable phone call.

QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE CRASH

Alcohol has become a major issue in the investigation.

Schneider reportedly told investigators that he had consumed three beers during dinner.

Authorities later alleged that his blood-alcohol level was approximately 0.16%, well above New Jersey’s legal limit for operating a vessel.

Investigators have accused Schneider of operating the boat while impaired and have charged him in connection with his grandchildren’s deaths.

The case will ultimately require prosecutors to establish exactly how the crash happened and whether Schneider’s alleged impairment caused or contributed to the fatal collision.

A FATHER MAKES A HEARTBREAKING REQUEST

The tragedy has taken another unexpected turn because Mya and Sigmund’s father has asked that Schneider be released from custody while the case continues.

It is a decision that reflects the painful complexity of a family forced to grieve while also confronting a criminal prosecution involving their own relative.

The children’s father is mourning his son and daughter.

At the same time, he is asking the court to show mercy toward their grandfather.

TWO SIBLINGS WHO NEVER MADE IT HOME

Mya was only 9.

Sigmund was only 7.

They had spent the evening surrounded by family, expecting nothing more than a boat ride home.

Instead, a nighttime collision sent them into the dark waters of Barnegat Bay.

Now their family is left with photographs, memories and the unbearable question of what might have happened if that boat had never left the dock.

A family dinner. A nighttime boat ride. One devastating collision. Two children who should have come home.

Stephen Schneider has been charged in connection with the crash and remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.