An illegal charter boat captain has been arrested after a boat capsized in New York Harbor, causing a woman and her infant to drown.
A U.S. Coast Guard investigation led to federal charges against Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, 46, from El Salvador, following a boat accident on Aug. 8 near Liberty Island. He is now in federal immigration custody.
All 14 people onboard the vessel were thrown overboard, federal authorities said, and a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old infant were found unresponsive and died.
Investigators allege Hernandez-Umana’s negligence and disregard for passenger vessel safety laws put the boat’s passengers in danger. Hernandez-Umana had no license to provide chartered boat tours.
Hernandez was initially charged by New York authorities with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, Fox News reported.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York charged Hernandez-Umana with two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Immigration authorities have detained the pilot of a speedboat that capsized in New York Harbor, killing a 5-month-old infant and her mother, after confirming he was in the United States illegally.
Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, 46, of Manville, New Jersey, faces federal… pic.twitter.com/f6XiAb4lhh
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) August 21, 2026
Federal regulations and maritime safety protocols exist to protect the lives and wellbeing of passengers on commercial vessels, U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said.
“The defendant allegedly flouted those regulations when he transported paying customers on a commercial vessel without appropriate licenses, overcrowded the vessel, and took on a 5-month-old infant passenger, with no infant life vests onboard,” McDonald said.
The Coast Guard Investigative Service determined Hernandez-Umana was illegally in the United States. He has since been transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Hernandez, who gave an address of Manville, N.J., told authorities he entered the U.S. illegally through Texas in 2007 and lied to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
He falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen so that he could enter the country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he was “illegally and recklessly conducting unlicensed boat tours in New York Harbor.”
“Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the Coast Guard, ICE, and our federal, state, and local partners, this criminal is off our streets and out of our waterways,” Mullin said. “Once he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country.”
According to CGIS investigators, Hernandez-Umana was piloting a Yamaha AR210 when it capsized in New York Harbor. He had the boat over capacity, filled with paying customers who were taking a sightseeing tour near the Statue of Liberty.
The tour had been arranged through a tour operations company, but investigators determined Hernandez-Umana did not have a valid Merchant Mariner Credential.
This is a required USCG certification to operate a vessel with paying customers onboard, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“In fact, the Vessel was of a type and size that made it ineligible to receive a COI for the type of operation conducted by HERNANDEZ,” McDonald’s office said.
Federal prosecutors allege his negligent actions caused the boat to capsize and put passengers in danger. He had 14 people onboard, exceeding the vessel’s 10-person capacity limit.
According to the federal complaint, Hernandez told investigators he did not know that a Merchant Mariner Credential or Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection was required.
He also allegedly said the borrowed vessel did not have a capacity placard and that he did not know its maximum capacity, Fox News reported.
Eleven passengers and Hernandez were recovered from the water in varying medical conditions, authorities said.
The infant was not wearing a personal flotation device, nor did the boat have any child- or infant-sized life jackets.
Members of the Coast Guard and New York Police Department recovered the bodies of the two victims who were unresponsive. They were identified as Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia.
Despite receiving CPR from emergency responders, they were pronounced deceased at a Brooklyn hospital.
“Illegal charter operations gamble with human life, and in this case, the alleged conduct led to an unthinkable tragedy,” CGIS Assistant Director Josh Packer said.
Other boats in the area, including vessels with the Coast Guard, New York Police Department and the New York City Fire Department, responded to provide emergency assistance.
After his arrest, Hernandez allegedly told investigators that he had previously piloted at least two other paid boat tours for the same company using his own vessel. He was paid approximately $1,000 for each trip.
Hernandez reportedly told the baby’s parents the boat did not have an infant-sized flotation device, according to the complaint. Instead of canceling their trip, Hernandez told one of the parents to wear a life vest and hold the baby during the tour.
