HEARTBREAKING PHOTOS SHOW 9-YEAR-OLD MYA AND 7-YEAR-OLD SIGGY TOGETHER BEFORE THE BOAT CRASH THAT TOOK BOTH OF THEIR LIVES
HEARTBREAKING PHOTOS SHOW 9-YEAR-OLD MYA AND 7-YEAR-OLD SIGGY TOGETHER BEFORE THE BOAT CRASH THAT TOOK BOTH OF THEIR LIVES
The photos are almost impossible for their family to look at now.
Mya Golabek, 9, and her little brother Sigmund “Siggy” Golabek, 7, can be seen smiling together on the water — wearing life jackets, enjoying boat rides and spending time with the parents who adored them.
At the time, they were simply happy family memories.
Today, those pictures carry a completely different meaning.
Mya and Siggy were described by their family as more than siblings. They were best friends, growing up side by side, sharing sports, adventures, pets, laughter and countless moments their loved ones believed they would have many more years to create.
But on the evening of July 19, 2026, a family boating trip on Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, ended in tragedy.
The boat carrying the children and their grandparents struck a wooden channel marker. Mya and Siggy were thrown into the water. They were pulled from the bay and emergency crews desperately tried to save them, but both children later died from their injuries.
Their grandfather, Stephen Schneider, 64, was later charged after authorities alleged he had been operating the boat while impaired by alcohol. He faces two counts of reckless vessel homicide and other boating-related charges. The allegations remain subject to the court process.
Now, the smiling photographs of Mya and Siggy on the water have become precious reminders of two children whose lives ended far too soon.
Two siblings. Two best friends. And a collection of beautiful family photos that now preserve moments their parents can never get back.
