Strong winds had prompted a small craft advisory on the Hudson at the time the boat flipped over. Investigators planned to look at the water conditions - like the constant challenges posed by boat wakes and currents - as well as other factors, like how many, if any, people were wearing lifejackets.Īuthorities are also looking into whether the weather, which was humid and unsettled at the time, may have played a role. What caused the boat to capsize is under investigation, said Inspector Anthony Russo, commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s Harbor Unit. “This is a devastating moment for them and those who were part of the families that were there.The water is an enjoyable part of New York, but it can be a dangerous place." “Our hearts go out to a group of people who were just using the water in our city,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference shortly after the tragedy on Tuesday. The surviving boat-goers plucked from the water were ushered away still in their bathing suits, heartbroken by the losses. He was one of 13 people pulled from the water by two ferries that came to the rescue, along with NYPD and FDNY harbor units, as the hull bobbed in the river. NBC New York's Ida Siegal reports.Īccording to a preliminary investigation, the owner of the boat rushed to call for help from ferries at the nearby NY Waterway terminal after seeing it flip over from the jet ski he was riding. Investigators are looking into whether there were too many people aboard the boat. The two people who died, a 48-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy, were trapped underneath the boat, police said.
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The Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday that "we can't stress enough how important it is to know your vessel's limits and how to safely navigate the water you are operating in." The vessel was towed to another pier at the NYPD Harbor Unit's facility on Randalls Island for further investigation. Investigators are looking into whether the boat may have been overloaded. It also has the capacity to hold the 12 people who were on it at the time of the capsize but it's not clear how much total weight, including equipment and other items in addition to the humans, was on the boat when it happened. The 3,660-pound boat has a top speed just below 52 MPH. The captain was given a field sobriety test at the scene that yielded negative results and authorities say no criminality is suspected at this time.Ĭoast Guard officials said the group was on a 24-foot Yamaha AR-240 jet boat, named "Stimulus Money." They're not yet sure if it was chartered, as was initially reported, or if the boat was a privately-owned pleasure craft. No updates were immediately available on their condition Wednesday. Three people, including the 24-year-old captain of the vessel, were said to have been critically injured in the accident. A large splash can be seen in the video, ultimately leaving Lindelia Vasquez and Julian Vasquez trapped under the watercraft. New video from a timelapse camera overlooking the Hudson from New Jersey showed two vessels - the boat and a jet ski behind it, which the owner of the boat was said to be riding - jetting along side-by-side, when one suddenly overturned.
Nearby ferries raced to the scene to help police and fire department rescuers get people out of the choppy waters. Lindelia Vasquez and Julian Vasquez were among the 12 aboard who found themselves in the water when the boat capsized around 2:45 p.m. Investigators are looking into whether capacity aboard the 18-foot boat or weather may have played a role in the vessel capsizing, which left two people dead and 11 others pulled from the water. Officials said the group of family and friends had chartered the boat out of New Jersey earlier in the day. The two were aunt and nephew, according to the NYPD. Lindelia Vasquez, 47, and 7-year-old Julian Vasquez were trapped under the vessel when it flipped over in the Hudson near Pier 86, in front of the USS Intrepid in the middle of the afternoon. An investigation into the accident, which happened right in front of the USS Intrepid, is ongoingĪuthorities released the identities of the woman and child killed in a Hudson River boat accident a day ago as their investigative focus turns to what went wrong in the waters off midtown Manhattan, the NYPD said Wednesday.Police had said the two were trapped under the boat and couldn't get out the other 10 people on the boat and the boat's owner, who was on a jet ski, were pulled from the water, with three said to be in critical condition.The NYPD identified the 7-year-old boy and 47-year-old woman killed in a Hudson River boat capsize as Julian Vasquez and Lindelia Vasquez, an aunt and nephew.