A family outing at the Jersey Shore ended in tragedy last month when a boat carrying two young siblings struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay, sending the children into the dark water and ultimately claiming both of their lives. Now, nearly four weeks after the crash, the children’s grandfather is facing homicide charges after investigators alleged that alcohol impaired his ability to operate the vessel.
Stephen Schneider, 64, of Berkeley Township, New Jersey, voluntarily surrendered to authorities on August 14 and was taken into custody following the investigation into the July 19 collision. Prosecutors allege that Schneider was operating his boat while impaired by alcohol when it struck a wooden channel marker in Barnegat Bay shortly after 9 p.m. The crash resulted in the deaths of his grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund Paul Golabek.
According to authorities and court documents cited by local news organizations, Schneider was operating a 30-foot Tidewater vessel when it collided with the channel marker. The force of the impact threw both children from the boat and into the water. Schneider and his 64-year-old wife, Laurie, were able to get the children out of the water and bring them toward shore, where emergency responders began lifesaving efforts. Both children were transported to a nearby hospital, but neither survived.
The crash happened at night, adding to the difficult circumstances faced by those on the water. Authorities have said the channel marker involved in the collision was properly illuminated at the time, according to ABC7 New York. Investigators have not indicated that a malfunctioning or unlit marker was responsible for the crash.
The new criminal charges represent a significant development in the investigation. Schneider is facing two counts of second-degree reckless vessel homicide, also described in reporting as death by vessel. He is additionally charged with operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol and reckless operation of a vessel. The specific blood-alcohol concentration allegedly recorded at the time of the crash has not been publicly released.
New Jersey State Police said Schneider surrendered voluntarily at the Berkeley Township Police Department in Ocean County. He was subsequently lodged in the Ocean County Jail while awaiting further court proceedings. Information about an attorney representing Schneider was not immediately available in the reports reviewed.
The charges have brought renewed attention to the devastating circumstances surrounding the children’s deaths. Mya and Sigmund were siblings from Lacey Township, and relatives described them as exceptionally close. Their obituaries remembered them not simply as brother and sister but as best friends who shared adventures, laughter and countless family memories. Their lives were closely intertwined, and the loss of both children in the same incident has left their family and community grieving.
Mya was remembered as an energetic child who enjoyed sports, swimming, beach outings, crafting and drawing. She also loved spending time with family and friends. Sigmund shared many of those interests, particularly sports and outdoor activities, and was described as a child who enjoyed baseball, basketball and time with relatives and friends. The siblings also shared an affection for the family’s dogs, Tequila and Captain.
The circumstances of the rescue attempt have also emerged in accounts from people who witnessed the aftermath. Berkeley Township Councilman James Byrnes told News 12 New Jersey that he saw one of the children wearing a life jacket as first responders worked to revive him. Firefighters immediately entered the water and emergency crews performed CPR, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
For the community, the crash has been particularly painful because it involved two children losing their lives during what had apparently been a family boating outing. The tragedy has also renewed concerns about safety on the waterways during the busy summer season, when Barnegat Bay and other Jersey Shore waterways become heavily used by recreational boaters.
The investigation, however, has now moved beyond the initial crash inquiry and into the criminal court process. Prosecutors will have to establish the allegations against Schneider in court, including whether alcohol impairment and reckless operation contributed to the collision and whether those actions meet the legal standard required for the homicide charges.
It is important to emphasize that the charges are allegations. Schneider has not been convicted, and he is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The case also illustrates the potentially devastating consequences of impaired boating. Unlike a simple mechanical accident, prosecutors allege that Schneider’s condition affected his ability to safely operate the vessel. The collision with the channel marker occurred while two children were aboard, and the impact resulted in both being thrown into the water. Authorities will now examine the circumstances leading up to the crash, including Schneider’s condition, the operation of the vessel, the surrounding conditions and the sequence of events immediately before and after the collision.
For Mya and Sigmund’s family, however, the legal proceedings cannot undo what happened. Their two children were lost in a single night, and the family must now navigate both the grief of their deaths and the criminal case that has followed.
The siblings’ obituaries focused on the bond they shared throughout their short lives. They were remembered for their personalities, their interests and the everyday moments that made them special to the people around them. Mya’s love of athletics and art and Sigmund’s enthusiasm for sports and family activities became part of the memories their relatives will carry forward.
The July 19 crash has also left members of the Berkeley Township community mourning. Local officials have described the incident as a profound tragedy and expressed sympathy for the family. Emergency responders who rushed to the scene were faced with the difficult task of trying to save two children after they had been thrown into the water.
As the criminal case moves forward, investigators and prosecutors will continue examining the evidence surrounding the crash. The next stages of the proceedings are expected to provide additional information about the allegations, the evidence supporting them and the circumstances that led to the collision.
For now, the central facts remain clear: two young siblings went out on Barnegat Bay with their grandparents on July 19, their boat struck a channel marker after 9 p.m., both children were thrown into the water, and both later died at a hospital. Nearly a month later, their grandfather was arrested after authorities alleged that he had been impaired by alcohol while operating the boat.
The tragedy has left a family without two young children who were described as inseparable, while the legal system begins the process of determining responsibility for the crash.
What began as a summer evening on the Jersey Shore has now become a criminal investigation with potentially serious consequences for the children’s grandfather. As the case proceeds, the focus will remain on the evidence and on determining exactly what happened in the moments before the boat struck the channel marker.
For the Golabek family, the outcome of that process will never change the loss of Mya and Sigmund. But the court proceedings may eventually provide a fuller account of how the crash happened and why a family outing ended in such devastating circumstances.