Grandfather Admits Drinking 3 Beers Before Fatal Boat Crash That K.i.l.l.e.d His 2 Young Grandkids — BAC Double the Limit
A New Jersey grandfather has admitted drinking alcohol shortly before a deadly boat crash that claimed the lives of his two young grandchildren on Barnegat Bay.
Stephen Schneider, 64, of Bayville in Berkeley Township, was at the helm of a Tidewater Custom 280 boat on the evening of July 19, 2026. Around 9 p.m., the vessel struck an illuminated Intracoastal Waterway channel marker. The impact threw his grandchildren — 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek, both of Lacey Township — into the water. Both children were wearing life jackets and had been seated at the front of the boat.
Schneider and his wife later found the siblings face-down and unresponsive in the dark water. They pulled the children aboard and began CPR, but the youngsters were pronounced dead at Community Medical Center in Toms River.
Court documents reveal that Schneider told investigators he had consumed three beers — two Guinness and one Miller Lite — over approximately two hours before the collision. He said the family had eaten dinner at MJ’s Restaurant Bar & Grill in Bayville. The children and their parents had arrived in a separate boat, but the siblings wanted to ride back with their grandparents. Schneider reported traveling at about 20 mph and seeing the marker only at the last second.
Toxicology results later showed Schneider’s blood alcohol content measured 0.16 percent, twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08 percent for operating a vessel. Experts concluded he was unfit to operate the boat and that alcohol had markedly impaired his alertness, judgment, perception, response time, and coordination. Authorities confirmed the channel marker’s lights were functioning properly at the time of the crash.
On August 14, Schneider was charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide, operating a vessel under the influence, and reckless operation of a vessel. The homicide charges are second-degree offenses that carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted. He was released from Ocean County Jail on August 19 under conditional release pending trial. Conditions include a prohibition on operating any boat or motor vehicle until he completes a court-ordered assessment.
The case has drawn attention to boating safety on Barnegat Bay, where multiple fatal incidents involving channel markers have occurred this summer. Life jackets, functioning navigation aids, and the relatively low reported speed did not prevent the tragedy once impairment was present. Schneider remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The investigation continues to examine every aspect of the evening that ended with the loss of two young lives.
