Prosecutors say Stephen Schneider had a 0.16 blood alcohol level when his boat struck a Barnegat Bay channel marker.
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ — New court details have emerged in the case of a New Jersey grandfather charged after a nighttime boat crash killed his two young grandchildren, including prosecutors’ allegation that his blood alcohol level was about twice the legal limit.
Stephen Schneider faces two counts of reckless vessel homicide, along with charges of operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel, in connection with the July 19 crash on Barnegat Bay. A judge has since ordered his conditional release from jail as the case moves forward. The latest court hearing added details about the family’s activities before the crash, Schneider’s account of his alcohol consumption and the conditions under which he will remain free pending further proceedings.
Authorities say Schneider was operating a Tidewater Custom 280 at about 9 p.m. when the boat struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker off Berkeley Township. His grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Golabek, were thrown from the vessel. Both children were wearing life jackets. They were pulled from the water but later died despite rescue efforts.
According to court documents described by NBC New York, Schneider told New Jersey State Police that he had consumed two Guinness beers and one Miller Lite during about two hours at a waterfront restaurant before getting back on the boat. The children had been with their parents and grandparents at the family gathering before leaving with Schneider and his wife for the return trip.
At a detention hearing Wednesday, Aug. 19, Assistant Prosecutor Kate Burke told the court that Schneider’s blood alcohol concentration was approximately 0.16. New Jersey’s legal limit for operating a vessel is 0.08. Prosecutors argued that the reading showed a significant level of impairment when Schneider took control of the boat and asked the judge to keep him detained while the criminal case proceeded.
Authorities have said the boat struck a lighted channel marker. Earlier police reporting also said the marker’s lights were functioning at the time of the crash. Schneider’s defense attorney, William Cunningham, raised questions during the detention proceeding about the marker and said investigators were continuing to examine whether it was properly lighted. That issue has not been resolved in court, and the charges against Schneider remain allegations.
The detention hearing also revealed that the children’s parents supported Schneider’s release while he awaits further court proceedings. Cunningham told the court that family members had submitted letters describing Schneider as a loving grandfather and asking that he not remain jailed. The defense also pointed to his lack of a significant criminal record and argued that the collision was not intentional.
The judge granted Schneider a conditional release rather than accepting the prosecution’s request for continued detention. As part of the conditions reported after the hearing, Schneider is temporarily barred from operating a boat or motor vehicle while completing a court-ordered assessment. His release does not resolve the criminal charges or determine whether he is guilty.
The July crash drew widespread attention along the Jersey Shore because of the ages of the victims and their relationship to the man accused of operating the boat. Mya and Sigmund lived in Lacey Township. Earlier reports said Schneider and his wife pulled both children from the water after the collision and began efforts to save them before emergency responders took over.
Schneider’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 15. Prosecutors are expected to continue pursuing the two vessel-homicide counts and the related boating charges, while the defense can challenge the state’s evidence, including the circumstances surrounding the collision and the alcohol-testing evidence. No trial date has been announced.
Author note: Last updated August 21, 2026.