GRIEVING FATHER ASKS JUDGE TO RELEASE GRANDFATHER CHARGED IN FATAL BOAT CRASH

BARNEGAT BAY, N.J. — In an emotional turn in the case surrounding the deaths of two young siblings, the children’s father asked a New Jersey judge to release their grandfather from custody while the criminal case moves forward.

Stephen Schneider, 64, is charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide, along with operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel. Prosecutors allege he was impaired by alcohol when his boat struck a wooden channel marker in Barnegat Bay on July 19, sending his two grandchildren into the water.

The children, Mya Bella Golabek, 9, and Sigmund Paul Golabek, 7, were later pronounced dead at a hospital.

THEIR FATHER ASKED FOR SCHNEIDER’S RELEASE

Despite the devastating loss, the children’s father, Sigmund Golabek, submitted a letter supporting Schneider’s release, according to reports.

The request reflected the family’s deeply complicated position: Schneider is both the person prosecutors accuse of causing the fatal crash and the grandfather the children knew and loved.

The letter reportedly described Schneider as a devoted grandfather and characterized the incident as a tragic accident rather than an intentional act.

A judge ultimately granted Schneider conditional release on Aug. 19.

PROSECUTORS SAY ALCOHOL PLAYED A ROLE

The emotional family appeal comes as prosecutors pursue serious criminal charges.

According to court documents, Schneider told investigators that he had consumed three beers during the evening. State Police, however, determined that his ability to safely operate the vessel was significantly impaired by alcohol.

Investigators allege Schneider was operating his 30-foot Tidewater 280 when it struck the channel marker at about 9 p.m.

Mya and Sigmund were thrown into the dark water. Both children were wearing life jackets, and Schneider and his wife pulled them from the water and attempted CPR before the children were taken to a hospital, where they later died.

A FAMILY DIVIDED BY GRIEF

The case has placed the Golabek family in an extraordinary position.

The children’s parents are grieving the loss of their only children while simultaneously asking the court not to keep their children’s grandfather behind bars as the case proceeds.

That request does not erase the criminal allegations against Schneider. The charges remain pending, and Schneider is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Instead, it highlights the personal conflict surrounding a case in which the alleged conduct and the family relationship are inseparable.

THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL PLAY OUT IN COURT

Schneider’s conditional release allows him to remain outside jail while the prosecution continues.

The case centers on whether prosecutors can prove that his operation of the boat was sufficiently reckless and whether alcohol impairment contributed to the deaths.

For the Golabek family, however, the legal arguments exist alongside an immeasurable personal loss.

Mya and Sigmund were siblings who had gone out with their family for dinner before choosing to return to their grandparents’ home by boat.

Now, their father is asking the court to release the man accused of causing the crash — not because the children were forgotten, but because he says the grandfather was also someone his children loved.

The criminal case will determine Schneider’s legal responsibility. The family, meanwhile, must continue living with the tragedy that brought them into court in the first place.