Stephen Schneider, 63, of Bayville surrendered to New Jersey State Police on Friday and now faces two counts of second degree reckless vessel homicide, along with charges of operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation, after his boat struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay on July 19 and threw his two grandchildren overboard.
What happened the night of the crash?
Schneider was piloting a 30 foot Tidewater Custom 280 around 9:09 p.m. when the vessel struck a wooden channel marker in the Intracoastal Waterway off Berkeley Township, according to state police. His grandchildren, 9 year old Mya Bella Golabek and 7 year old Sigmund Paul Golabek, were thrown into the water along with two adult passengers. Schneider and his 64 year old wife pulled both children from the bay, and first responders rushed them to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Who were the two children who died?
Mya and Sigmund, known to family as Siggy, lived in Lacey Township and were remembered as inseparable. Mya played softball and basketball, loved swimming and the beach, and enjoyed crabbing and drawing in her free time. Her brother had a soft spot for baseball, Sonic and dinosaurs, and the two shared a bond over their family dogs, named Tequila and Captain. Their softball community stepped in quickly, with Lacey Girls Softball paying tribute to Mya and a Meal Train organized to support the family in the days after the crash.
What charges is the boating operator facing, and what happens next?
Schneider is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending his next court appearance, and it remains unclear whether he has retained an attorney. Online court records had not been updated as of Saturday, and New Jersey State Police say the investigation remains active nearly a month after the crash. The reckless vessel homicide charges each carry the potential for significant prison time in New Jersey, though no plea has been entered and the case is still in its early stages.
Why did it take almost a month to file charges in this boating case?
This is the detail most coverage has glossed over. Boating fatality investigations in New Jersey typically involve toxicology results, vessel inspections and witness interviews that can take weeks to complete before prosecutors are comfortable filing charges, which explains the gap between the July 19 crash and Friday’s arrest. In the meantime, the family held funeral services for both children at Riggs Funeral Home in Forked River, and Berkeley Township officials have since called for improved channel marker visibility and safer waterway standards following the crash, a response that suggests this case may end up shaping local boating policy beyond the courtroom.
How is the community supporting the family now?
Donations in Sigmund’s memory are being directed to Popcorn Park Zoo, a place he loved, while gifts in Mya’s honor are going to her Lacey Storm softball team. Family members have asked supporters to keep the Golabek family in their thoughts as the case moves through the legal system. For a community still grieving two children lost in a single night, the coming court dates will likely reopen a wound that funeral services and softball tributes have only begun to address.
