What began as a devastating family boating trip on the Jersey Shore has now become a criminal case.

Nearly a month after 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and her 7-year-old brother, Sigmund “Siggy” Paul Golabek, lost their lives following a nighttime boat crash on Barnegat Bay, authorities have arrested the man who was operating the vessel.

He was their grandfather.

Stephen Schneider, 64, of Berkeley Township, New Jersey, voluntarily surrendered to police on August 14 and now faces two counts of second-degree reckless vessel homicide/death by vessel.

He has also been charged with operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.

According to charging documents, investigators allege Schneider was impaired by alcohol when his boat struck a wooden channel marker on the night of July 19.

The new allegation dramatically changes the legal landscape surrounding a tragedy that had already shaken the local community.

A Summer Evening on Barnegat Bay
The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. in waters off Berkeley Township.

Schneider was operating a Tidewater center-console boat with his wife and their two young grandchildren aboard.

Mya and Siggy were spending time with their grandparents on what should have been an ordinary summer outing.

Then the boat struck Intracoastal Waterway channel marker No. 39.

The impact was powerful enough to throw both children into the dark water.

Schneider and his wife immediately went after them.

The grandparents managed to pull Mya and Siggy from the bay and bring them toward shore, where emergency personnel desperately attempted to help.

Both children were transported to a nearby hospital.

Neither survived.

At the time, the crash was publicly described as a devastating boating accident.

But investigators continued working to determine why the vessel struck the marker.

Weeks later, that investigation produced a significant new allegation.

Court Records Allege Alcohol Impairment
According to court documents cited by multiple New Jersey news organizations, Schneider’s ability to safely operate the vessel was allegedly impaired by alcohol at the time of the collision.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed his specific blood-alcohol concentration.

That distinction is important.

The charging documents allege impairment, but the complete toxicology or testing information supporting that determination has not been publicly detailed.

On August 14, Schneider voluntarily surrendered at the Berkeley Township Police Department.

New Jersey State Police confirmed that he was taken into custody and lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending further court proceedings.

He faces two counts of reckless vessel homicide/death by vessel — one involving each child — along with the boating-under-the-influence and reckless-operation charges.

The charges are allegations and do not constitute a finding of guilt.

Mya and Siggy Were More Than Names in a Police Report
As the criminal case begins, the tragedy remains centered on two children whose family described them as extraordinarily close.

Mya was 9.

Her family remembered her as creative and athletic, with interests ranging from sports and swimming to crafting and drawing.

Siggy was 7.

He loved sports as well, particularly baseball and basketball, and enjoyed swimming and spending time with relatives and friends.

The siblings also shared a love for their dogs, Tequila and Captain.

Their obituaries described them not simply as brother and sister, but as best friends.

They shared adventures, laughter and memories — a sibling relationship their family said was inseparable.

That is what made the July 19 crash particularly devastating for the community.

Two children from the same family were lost in a matter of moments.

First Responders Faced a Desperate Scene
People near the scene have described the frantic rescue effort that followed the collision.

Berkeley Township Councilman James Byrnes previously said he witnessed first responders attempting to revive one of the children.

Firefighters and emergency crews moved quickly as the children were brought from the water.

A life jacket was reportedly near one of them during the emergency response.

Despite those efforts, both children were later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The tragedy left residents struggling to understand how an evening on the bay could end so suddenly.

At that stage, however, the public did not know what investigators would later allege about the person operating the boat.

Nearly Four Weeks Later, the Case Changed
The August 14 arrest represents the most significant development since the crash.

Instead of investigators simply examining navigational conditions, visibility or mechanical factors, prosecutors now have a criminal case involving an allegation of alcohol impairment.

But several questions remain unanswered publicly.

Authorities have not disclosed Schneider’s alleged blood-alcohol level.

Detailed information about testing performed after the collision has not been released.

And the evidence supporting each of the charges will ultimately have to be examined through the court system.

That means the allegations should not be confused with a conviction.

Schneider will have the opportunity to challenge the prosecution’s evidence and present a defense.

The Legal Case Is Only Beginning
Second-degree reckless vessel homicide is a serious criminal charge under New Jersey law.

But Schneider’s arrest does not represent the conclusion of the case.

It represents the beginning of a new phase.

Investigators will have to establish what happened before the collision, Schneider’s condition while operating the boat and how those circumstances contributed to the crash.

The defense will have an opportunity to challenge those conclusions.

And a court will ultimately determine criminal responsibility.

For the children’s family, however, the legal questions come after a loss that cannot be reversed.

Mya and Siggy climbed aboard a boat with their grandparents on July 19.

Hours later, their family was confronting an unimaginable tragedy.

Nearly a month afterward, the grandfather who helped pull them from the water is now accused of being impaired while operating the vessel that carried them.

That allegation has transformed the story from a devastating boating crash into a criminal proceeding.

But regardless of what happens in court, the heart of the story remains two young siblings whose lives ended together on Barnegat Bay — and a family that will continue living with what happened that night.

Main Sources: New York Post, New Jersey State Police, Jersey Shore Online, New Jersey 101.5