Grandfather’s Shocking 0.16 BAC Revealed After Boat Crash K.i.l.l.s His Two Grandkids — Yet Their Grieving Father Begs Judge to Set Him Free
A devastating boating accident on New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay has taken a startling turn, revealing details that have left many stunned. On the evening of July 19, 2026, 64-year-old Stephen Schneider of Bayville was at the helm of his 28-foot Tidewater center-console boat when it struck an illuminated channel marker shortly after 9 p.m. The impact ejected his two young grandchildren — 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek — into the water. Both children, who were wearing life jackets and seated in the front of the vessel, were later found unresponsive and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The family had just finished dinner at a waterfront restaurant in Berkeley Township. The children had arrived with their parents on a separate boat but chose to ride home with their grandparents. Schneider was traveling at approximately 20 mph when the collision occurred. According to investigators, the navigational marker’s lights were functioning properly at the time.
Toxicology results later showed Schneider’s blood alcohol content was approximately 0.16 percent — twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08 percent. He told authorities he had consumed two Guinness beers and one Miller Lite over roughly two hours before operating the vessel. Medical experts reviewing the findings concluded that his alertness, judgment, perception, response time, and coordination were markedly impaired by alcohol.
Schneider was arrested in mid-August and charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide, operating a vessel under the influence, and reckless operation of a vessel. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors argued strongly against his release, emphasizing the level of impairment and the catastrophic outcome for the family.
Yet in a move that surprised many, the children’s father and other family members submitted letters to the court requesting that Schneider be allowed to await trial at home. Superior Court Judge Wendel Daniels granted the conditional release on August 19. Among the conditions, Schneider is prohibited from operating a boat or motor vehicle pending further court-ordered evaluation. The judge cited Schneider’s lack of prior criminal history and the family’s expressed wishes.
The case has drawn attention to the dangers of alcohol-impaired boating, particularly at night on busy waterways. Schneider, a longtime resident familiar with the route, maintained that he saw the marker only at the last moment. His wife was also aboard the boat and assisted in the desperate search for the children in the dark water.
As the legal process continues, the tragedy underscores how a single evening of family time ended in irreversible loss. The children’s parents now face the dual burden of mourning their young son and daughter while supporting the grandfather who was at the controls. The outcome of the case will determine whether accountability or compassion — or both — shapes the final chapter of this heartbreaking story.
