The boat was carrying 14 people when it suddenly overturned in New York Harbor, killing a 27-year-old woman and a 5-month-old infant. The nighttime rescue brought multiple emergency agencies rushing to the scene.

Captain hit with slew of charges after boat capsized near Liberty Island, killing 2, including infant
Police officers search Liberty Island coast after boat capsizes

The captain of the boat that capsized in New York Harbor late Saturday — killing a baby and a 27-year-old woman — was hit with more than a dozen charges for driving it while dangerously overloaded, according to sources.

The operator, a 46-year-old Manhattan resident who has not been publicly identified, faces 13 charges of reckless endangerment after the motorboat he was steering flipped over off the coast of Liberty Island just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday, with more charges pending, according to sources.

FDNY personnel rescuing victims from a capsized vessel near Liberty Island at night.
FDNY units respond to a capsized vessel off Liberty Island on Saturday, August 8, 2026.Paul Martinka for NY Post
Emergency responders transporting a woman on a stretcher after a boat capsized off Liberty Island.
The deadly incident left two dead, a 27-year-old woman and an infant.Paul Martinka for NY Post

The vessel, a 22-foot bowrider motorboat, was overloaded with 14 people on board, NYPD sources told The Post.

Two passengers are confirmed to have died, including a 5-month-old baby and a 27-year-old woman from Queens. Neither has been identified pending family notification, the NYPD said.

Multiple agencies, including the NYPD, the FDNY, the US Coast Guard and Air Sea Rescue, were scrambled to the scene and the captain of the vessel was taken into custody.

A woman bundled in a white blanket sits on a stretcher at night, her hand covering her mouth as if distraught or crying, with the red light of an emergency vehicle in the background.
The remaining 11 passengers were removed from the water and transported to Brooklyn’s Lutheran Hospital in stable condition with minor injuries.Paul Martinka for NY Post
A rescue boat with crew members on board, illuminated at night with a city skyline in the background.
Rescue crews seen scouring the waters after the deadly incident near Liberty Harbor.

Video of the incident shows blue and red emergency craft lights in the dark harbor searching the waters after the vessel capsized.

NYPD helicopters could be seen hovering overhead, while FDNY vessels patrolled the waters to save survivors.

The remaining 11 passengers were removed from the water and transported to Brooklyn’s Lutheran Hospital in stable condition with minor injuries.

An overturned white boat floats partially submerged next to a dock.
Wreckage seen as NYPD Harbor Unit officers investigate an overturned boat at their Brooklyn base on Sunday, August 9, 2026.Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post

“No. Why? Why? No,” a loved one of one of the victims could be heard yelling in horror at the hospital on Saturday night.

Some of the survivors could be seen still clutching their life jackets in the hospital lobby.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

SOURCE: NYSPOST.COM