After Losing Their Two Children, Parents Ask Court to Release Their Grandfather Stephen Schneider

The case surrounding the deaths of siblings Mya Bella Golabek, 9, and Sigmund “Siggy” Paul Golabek, 7, has taken an extraordinary turn after their parents asked a New Jersey judge to release the children’s grandfather, Stephen Schneider, while he awaits trial.

Schneider, 64, of Bayville, New Jersey, is facing serious criminal charges stemming from a July 19 boating crash on Barnegat Bay. Yet during a detention hearing on August 19, the parents of the two children submitted letters supporting Schneider’s release. The request placed an intensely personal family relationship at the center of a legal proceeding.

According to News 12, the children’s father, Sigmund Golabek, described Schneider as “a wonderful father-in-law, loving grandfather and a man with a generous heart.” He also expressed gratitude for the way Schneider had loved his children, the role he played in their lives and the example he had set for them. (News 12 – Default)

The letter did not ask the court to dismiss the charges or dispute the evidence presented by prosecutors. Instead, it offered the judge a picture of Schneider beyond the allegations — a grandfather who had been an important part of the family and someone the parents continued to value despite the devastating circumstances.

A Family Evening That Ended in Tragedy

The incident occurred on the evening of July 19, when the Golabek and Schneider families gathered for dinner in Bayville, near Barnegat Bay.

According to court information reported by the Asbury Park Press and other outlets, Mya and Sigmund later boarded their grandfather’s Tidewater Custom 280 boat. Their grandmother, Laurie Schneider, was also aboard. The children were wearing life jackets when the vessel struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker shortly after 9 p.m. (AOL)

The impact sent both children into the water. Their grandparents located them and emergency efforts began. The siblings were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The loss was especially painful because Mya and Sigmund were the couple’s only two children. Their obituaries remembered them not simply as brother and sister, but as exceptionally close siblings and best friends.

The tragedy left the family facing an almost unimaginable situation: the man accused of being responsible was also the children’s grandfather, a person who had been deeply connected to their lives.

Charges Came Nearly a Month Later

Schneider was not immediately charged on the night of the crash. He was arrested on August 14 following an investigation by New Jersey State Police and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

He faces two second-degree counts of reckless vessel homicide, along with charges related to operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation. He has not been convicted, and the allegations will ultimately be decided through the court process. (Daily Voice)

According to the prosecution, toxicology testing indicated that Schneider had a blood alcohol concentration of approximately 0.16 percent, twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08 percent for operating a vessel. Prosecutors argued that the result demonstrated a significant level of impairment.

The defense has presented a different perspective on the circumstances surrounding the crash. Attorney William Cunningham emphasized Schneider’s lack of significant criminal history and argued that the incident was not intentional. The defense has also raised questions about the channel marker and the circumstances surrounding its visibility, issues that remain part of the legal proceedings. (ABC7 Los Angeles)

The Father’s Letter Became a Powerful Moment in Court

During the August 19 detention hearing, the defense presented letters from the parents of Mya and Sigmund asking the court to release Schneider pending trial.

For many observers, the request was striking because the people supporting his release were the parents who had just lost their two children.

News 12 reported that the letter from Sigmund Golabek described Schneider as a loving grandfather and emphasized his importance to the family. The father said he was grateful for the love Schneider had shown his children and for the role he had played in their lives. (News 12 – Default)

The defense argued that Schneider could safely remain in the community while the case continued. Cunningham told the court that Schneider would likely never operate a boat again and would not drink alcohol again.

The prosecution disagreed.

Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Kate Burke argued that Schneider’s alleged level of impairment and the consequences of the incident justified continued detention. According to News 12, prosecutors emphasized the seriousness of the allegations and the reported 0.16 percent blood alcohol level. (News 12 – Default)

The judge ultimately sided with the defense request for conditional release.

Schneider Released Under Conditions

Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels ordered Schneider released from the Ocean County Jail while the criminal case proceeds.

News 12 reported that Schneider is prohibited from operating a boat or a car while awaiting further evaluation by the court. The Asbury Park Press also reported that his next scheduled court appearance is September 15 before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan. (News 12 – Default)

His release does not mean the charges have been dismissed, nor does it represent a finding that he is innocent. The criminal case remains active, and prosecutors will continue presenting their evidence as the proceedings move forward.

The detention decision instead concerns whether Schneider should remain behind bars while awaiting trial.

A Difficult Choice for a Grieving Family

The parents’ decision to support Schneider’s release is perhaps the most emotionally complicated element of the case.

For outsiders, it can be difficult to understand how parents who have lost their children could ask for freedom for the person prosecutors accuse of causing the tragedy. But the letter reveals another dimension of the family’s relationship.

To Sigmund Golabek, Schneider was not simply the defendant named in a criminal complaint. He was also his father-in-law, the grandfather of his children and someone who had been present throughout their family life.

That distinction appears to have mattered greatly.

The father’s words focused on years of memories rather than a single devastating night. His description of Schneider as a loving grandfather suggests that the parents were attempting to separate the person they had known for years from the terrible circumstances now being examined in court.

Their decision does not erase their loss, and it does not determine the outcome of the criminal case. Instead, it reflects the deeply complicated emotions surrounding a tragedy in which family relationships and legal responsibility have become inseparable.

The Case Now Moves Forward

Mya and Sigmund are remembered by relatives and their community for the bond they shared. Their story has attracted attention across New Jersey because of both the circumstances of the boating incident and the extraordinary decision made by their parents during the subsequent court proceedings.

For Schneider, the next stage will be the continuing criminal case. Prosecutors will seek to establish the allegations against him, while his defense will have the opportunity to challenge the evidence and present its own account of what happened.

For the Golabek family, however, the legal proceedings are only one part of a much larger personal struggle.

They are navigating the loss of two children while simultaneously supporting the release of a grandfather who remains accused in connection with their deaths.

That contradiction is what makes the case so difficult to comprehend. The courtroom must focus on evidence, charges and legal standards. The family must live with years of memories, relationships and grief.

The father’s letter ultimately offered the judge something that legal documents cannot easily capture: a reminder that a person facing serious allegations can also have been a beloved member of the very family at the heart of the case.

As Stephen Schneider awaits trial under court-ordered conditions, the charges against him remain unresolved. And for the Golabek family, the memory of Mya and Sigmund remains at the center of everything that follows.

Foreign sources used

• News 12 — Bayville man accused of crashing boat released pending trial — details the parents’ letters, the father’s statement, the prosecution’s position and Schneider’s release conditions.
• Asbury Park Press report via AOL — provides the timeline, charges, toxicology information and upcoming court date.
• ABC7 Los Angeles — independently reports the family’s support for Schneider’s release and the defense arguments.
• Daily Voice — reports Schneider’s August 14 arrest and the charges filed by New Jersey authorities.
• AOL / Asbury Park Press report on the original charges — provides background on the July 19 incident and identification of Mya and Sigmund.