“I ONLY HAD THREE BEERS”: GRANDPA’S ACCOUNT COLLIDES WITH 0.16 BAC AFTER BOAT CRASH KILLED TWO GRANDCHILDREN

A family dinner on New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay ended in tragedy when a grandfather’s boat struck a channel marker, sending his two young grandchildren into the water. Now, newly revealed court details about alcohol consumption and a 0.16 blood-alcohol reading are at the center of the criminal case.

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — What began as an ordinary summer evening with family dinner turned into a devastating tragedy on July 19, 2026, when a boat carrying 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund “Siggy” Golabek, struck a channel marker on Barnegat Bay.

The boat was being operated by their grandfather, Stephen Schneider, 64, of Bayville.

Both children were wearing life jackets when they were thrown from the vessel. They were later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Now, the case has taken a new turn with prosecutors pointing to toxicology evidence that they say shows Schneider was significantly impaired.

THE “THREE BEERS” STATEMENT

According to court documents and reporting from NBC New York, Schneider told New Jersey State Police that he had consumed two Guinness beers and one Miller Lite over approximately two hours before taking the boat out.

That was the account he reportedly gave investigators about his alcohol consumption that evening.

But prosecutors later pointed to a very different number.

A blood sample taken after the crash showed a blood-alcohol concentration of approximately 0.16% — twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08% for operating a vessel.

Assistant Prosecutor Kate Burke argued at Schneider’s detention hearing that the toxicology result demonstrated the degree of impairment under which he allegedly chose to operate the boat.

THE CRASH ON BARNEGAT BAY

Authorities say Schneider was operating a Tidewater Custom 280 at approximately 9 p.m. when the boat struck a channel marker.

The impact sent both children from the boat into the water.

Emergency responders rushed the siblings to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where efforts to save them continued.

They were ultimately pronounced dead.

The tragedy has devastated both sides of the family — made even more complicated by the fact that Schneider was not a stranger to the children, but their grandfather.

WHAT THE 0.16 READING MEANS FOR THE CASE

The 0.16 BAC figure has become a central part of the prosecution’s argument.

Prosecutors say the result was twice the legal limit and evidence that Schneider was operating the vessel with substantial alcohol impairment.

Schneider’s defense, meanwhile, has emphasized that he has no prior criminal record and that the crash was not intentional.

His attorney also questioned whether the channel marker’s lighting was functioning properly at the time of the collision — an issue that could become important as the case moves forward.

A HEARTBREAKING FAMILY DECISION

One of the most painful details is how the children came to be on their grandparents’ boat.

After dinner, Mya and Siggy reportedly wanted to ride with their grandparents rather than return with their parents.

They were wearing life jackets and boarded Schneider’s boat.

What should have been a short ride home became the final journey of two siblings.

Their parents have since expressed support for Schneider, according to defense attorneys, and submitted letters asking that he be released while awaiting trial.

That family decision became a major factor at Schneider’s recent detention hearing.

SCHNEIDER HAS NOW BEEN RELEASED

On August 19, a judge ordered Schneider released from jail while the criminal case proceeds.

Prosecutors had argued that he should remain detained because of the seriousness of the allegations and the 0.16 BAC result.

The judge ultimately granted conditional release.

Among the restrictions, Schneider is prohibited from operating a boat or motor vehicle while he completes a court-ordered assessment.

He faces charges including two counts of reckless vessel homicide, operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.

He has not been convicted of those charges and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

THE QUESTION THAT WILL FOLLOW THIS CASE

The toxicology evidence does not, by itself, answer every question surrounding the crash.

Investigators and attorneys will still examine the vessel, the channel marker, visibility, navigation equipment, the exact timing of Schneider’s drinking and the circumstances immediately before the collision.

But one fact is already firmly documented in the case:

Schneider told investigators he had consumed three beers.

His subsequent blood test registered approximately 0.16% BAC.

And prosecutors say that level demonstrates significant impairment at the time he was operating the boat.

For Mya and Siggy’s family, however, the legal arguments cannot change the most painful reality.

Mya was 9.

Siggy was 7.

They boarded their grandfather’s boat after a family dinner.

They never made it home.

The criminal case will now determine what responsibility, if any, Schneider bears for the tragedy.

But for two families grieving the loss of two children, the consequences of that July night on Barnegat Bay will last far beyond the courtroom.