Two young children died after the boat they were on collided with a channel marker in New Jersey on Saturday night. The nine-year-old girl and seven-year-old boy were thrown from a 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280 into the waters off Berkeley Township.
Details of the Incident
State Police reported that the boat struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, ejecting the children. Boat operator Stephen Schneider, 63, and passenger Laurie Schneider, 64, found the children unresponsive in the water. The couple are believed to be the grandparents of the children, according to ABC7. Sources told Jersey Shore Online that the group had been at MJ's Restaurant Bar and Grill before boarding the boat.
Aftermath and Investigation
The children were rushed to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead. In a statement, the New Jersey State Police said: "On July 19, at approximately 9:09 pm, troopers responded to the report of a serious vessel crash in the Berkeley Township Bay Area. Based on a preliminary investigation, a Tidewater Custom 280 30-foot vessel, while travelling through the Intercoastal Waterway, struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, causing a 9 year old juvenile female and a 7 year old juvenile male to be ejected into the water. The operator, Stephen Schneider, a 63 year old male from Bayville, NJ, and occupant Laurie Schneider, a 64 year old female from Bayville, found the juveniles unresponsive in the water. The youngsters were taken to a local hospital, where they were declared dead. This boat accident is still under investigation, and no further information is available."
