I ONLY HAD THREE BEERS”: GRANDFATHER’S ACCOUNT COLLIDES WITH 0.16 BAC AFTER FATAL BARNEGAT BAY BOAT CRASH

A family boat ride that began after dinner ended in tragedy when a 30-foot vessel struck a channel marker, sending two young siblings into the water. Now, court records and toxicology evidence have placed renewed focus on what their grandfather, Stephen Schneider, had been drinking before taking the helm.

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, New Jersey — What began as a summer family outing on Barnegat Bay ended with the loss of 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund “Siggy” Golabek.

Their grandfather, Stephen Schneider, 64, was operating the boat when it struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker at about 9:09 p.m. on July 19, 2026, according to court records and police. The impact threw the children from the vessel into the water.

Now, the investigation has taken a new focus: Schneider’s reported alcohol consumption and the toxicology results obtained after the crash.

“I ONLY HAD THREE BEERS”

According to authorities, Schneider told investigators that he had consumed three beers before taking the boat out.

Reports describe the drinks as two Guinness beers and one Miller Lite over roughly two hours.

But prosecutors later revealed a much higher figure from a blood test.

Schneider’s blood alcohol concentration was reported at approximately 0.16% — twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08% for operating a vessel.

That result has become one of the central pieces of evidence in the criminal case.

THE BLOOD TEST CAME AFTER THE CRASH

Following the collision, Schneider was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where the two children were also taken.

A blood sample was obtained under a search warrant.

Prosecutors later cited the resulting 0.16 BAC during Schneider’s detention hearing, arguing that the level demonstrated significant impairment at the time he was operating the boat.

The precise interpretation of a BAC measured hours after a crash can depend on factors including the timing of alcohol consumption, absorption and elimination. Any argument about exactly what Schneider’s BAC was at the moment of impact would ultimately be a matter for toxicological evidence and the court.

But the number itself is now part of the official case record.

TWO CHILDREN WERE THROWN INTO THE DARK WATER

Police say the children were sitting toward the front of the boat when it struck the channel marker.

The collision caused both Mya and Siggy to go overboard.

They were wearing life jackets, according to police, and people on the boat were able to locate and retrieve them from the water.

The children were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Their deaths devastated a family that had been spending what should have been an ordinary summer evening together.

A FAMILY DINNER BECAME THE LAST NIGHT

The children had been with their grandparents after a family dinner.

The short boat trip was supposed to be part of the journey home.

Instead, it became the final journey for both siblings.

Mya was 9 years old.

Siggy was 7.

Their family has described them as exceptionally close — not only brother and sister, but best friends.

SCHNEIDER NOW FACES SERIOUS CHARGES

Schneider was arrested on August 14, nearly a month after the crash.

He faces two counts of second-degree reckless vessel homicide, along with charges including operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.

The charges are allegations, and Schneider is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

His attorney has argued for his release and pointed to Schneider’s lack of a prior criminal record.

A judge ultimately allowed him to await trial outside jail under conditions that include a prohibition on operating a boat or motor vehicle while he undergoes further evaluation.

THE CHILDREN’S PARENTS ASKED FOR HIS RELEASE

One of the most unexpected developments came during the detention hearing.

The parents of Mya and Siggy supported Schneider’s release.

Their attorney said the family viewed him as a loving grandfather and father-in-law despite the devastating circumstances surrounding the crash.

That decision does not resolve the criminal case.

Instead, Schneider will now face the allegations while the legal process continues.

THE BIG QUESTION: HOW DID THE NUMBERS FIT TOGETHER?

The prosecution now has two important facts to reconcile:

Schneider’s reported account: three beers over approximately two hours.

Toxicology result: approximately 0.16% BAC after the crash.

The timing of the drinks and blood draw, the amount of alcohol consumed, and the science of alcohol absorption and elimination could all become important as the case progresses.

The 0.16 reading alone does not establish precisely how many drinks Schneider consumed.

But prosecutors have already pointed to it as evidence of the degree of impairment they say existed when he operated the vessel.

A SUMMER OF TRAGEDIES ON BARNEGAT BAY

The case has also emerged amid a troubling summer on Barnegat Bay.

Authorities have reported multiple fatal boating incidents in Ocean County waters this season, with several involving collisions with channel markers.

For Mya and Siggy’s family, however, the statistics mean little compared with the personal loss.

Two children went out for a boat ride.

They never came home.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Schneider has been released pending trial, but the criminal case remains active.

Prosecutors will have to prove their allegations in court, while the defense will have an opportunity to challenge the toxicology evidence, the circumstances of the crash and the state’s interpretation of what happened that night.

For now, the 0.16 BAC remains one of the most significant publicly reported pieces of evidence in the case.

And behind that number are two children whose final family outing ended in tragedy.

Mya Bella Golabek, 9.

Sigmund “Siggy” Golabek, 7.

ONE BOAT. ONE CHANNEL MARKER. ONE NIGHT THAT CHANGED A FAMILY FOREVER.

The legal battle over what happened on Barnegat Bay has only begun.