“I DIDN’T KNOW THEY WERE GONE”: GRANDFATHER’S REALIZATION AFTER BOAT CRASH BECOMES KEY DETAIL IN TRAGIC TIMELINE

BARNEGAT BAY, N.J. — In the darkness of Barnegat Bay, a family dinner suddenly turned into a frantic search for two children who had disappeared from their grandfather’s boat.

Stephen Schneider, 64, was operating his 28-foot Tidewater Custom 280 on July 19 when the vessel struck a channel marker at about 9 p.m., according to court documents and investigators.

His grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek, were seated toward the front of the boat and were thrown into the water by the impact.

What happened in the moments immediately afterward is now emerging as one of the most haunting details in the case.

THE CHILDREN WERE SUDDENLY GONE

Mya and Sigmund had been spending the evening with their grandparents and parents after the families gathered for dinner in Bayville.

The children had arrived with their parents on a separate boat but planned to return with their grandparents.

Then came the collision.

According to reports, Schneider did not immediately realize that both children had fallen from the boat.

It was only after the crash that the family discovered the children were missing and began searching through the darkness.

The children were wearing life jackets, according to authorities, but the impact had thrown them into the bay.

A DESPERATE SEARCH IN THE DARK

The newly released 911 audio captures the panic that followed.

Laurie Schneider, Stephen’s wife, can be heard telling the dispatcher that one child was on the boat while Stephen was in the water trying to find the other.

At one point, she struggled to identify their exact location, asking whether they were near channel marker 39.

The family was racing against time.

Mya and Sigmund were eventually pulled from the dark water, and the grandparents attempted CPR before emergency crews arrived.

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

For the family, those frantic minutes remain at the center of an unimaginable tragedy.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE COLLISION?

Investigators are also examining Schneider’s condition at the time he was operating the boat.

According to court documents, Schneider told police he had consumed three beers over approximately two hours during dinner.

But prosecutors say his blood-alcohol concentration after the crash was 0.16, twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08.

Authorities have charged Schneider with two counts of reckless vessel homicide/death by vessel, as well as operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.

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

A CRUCIAL QUESTION FOR INVESTIGATORS

The reported sequence after the collision could become important as prosecutors reconstruct the final minutes before and after the crash.

Investigators will need to determine what Schneider could see from the helm, how quickly the family recognized that the children had gone overboard and what happened between the impact and the emergency response.

Schneider reportedly told investigators he was traveling at approximately 20 mph when he saw the channel marker at the last moment. The defense has also raised questions about whether the marker was properly illuminated.

Those details could become significant as the case moves forward.

THE FAMILY HAS STOOD BY SCHNEIDER

Despite the devastating loss, the children’s parents have supported Schneider during the legal proceedings.

His son-in-law reportedly described him as a loving grandfather and asked the court to release him while the case continues.

A judge granted Schneider conditional release, barring him from operating a boat or motor vehicle while he completes a court-ordered assessment.

The family’s support underscores the complicated emotions surrounding the case.

For them, Schneider is not simply the defendant described in court documents.

He is also the grandfather who tried to find the children after they disappeared into the water.

A FAMILY EVENING THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY

Mya and Sigmund were supposed to be heading home after a family dinner.

Instead, a collision on the bay separated them from the people who were trying desperately to find them.

Now prosecutors are examining the circumstances surrounding the crash, while the family continues to mourn two children whose lives ended far too soon.

The reported moment when Schneider realized the children were no longer aboard the boat adds another devastating layer to the timeline.

One collision. Two children suddenly missing. And a desperate search through the darkness that the family will never forget.

Schneider’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 15, as the legal case continues.