Grandfather arrested for allegedly drunk boating crash that killed two grandchildren
Stephen Schneider, 64, was taken into custody after his boat struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay, causing the deaths of his 9-year-old granddaughter Mya Bella Golabek and her 7-year-old brother Sigmund Paul Golabek.
On July 19, Stephen Schneider, 64, piloted his 30-foot Tidewater 280 boat in Barnegat Bay when it hit a wood channel marker around 9 p.m., propelling his granddaughter Mya Bella Golabek, 9, and her brother Sigmund Paul Golabek, 7, into the dark water. Schneider and his wife pulled the children out, but both later succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital. Court documents indicate Schneider was "impaired by alcohol" at the time, though no exact BAC figure was released.
He has been charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide. The siblings were remembered as best friends with a close sibling bond. The incident occurred at the Jersey Shore, drawing attention to boating safety and alcohol-related accidents.
Why it matters
The case highlights the dangers of operating vessels while intoxicated and the tragic loss of young lives.
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