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Feds say pilot of boat in deadly NY Harbor capsize was unlicensed, ignored safety protocols
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Gothamist
Federal prosecutors say the 46-year-old man who was piloting the boat that capsized in New York Harbor Saturday evening was operating it without a required license and ignored safety protocols, causing the deaths of a mother and infant daughter onboard.
Authorities allege his criminally negligent behavior included carrying 14 people on a boat with a maximum allowable capacity of 10 and taking the group on board without an infant life jacket.
Manuel Hernandez, of Manville, New Jersey, was charged in federal court on Monday with two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
He appeared in court wearing a gray T-shirt and white swimming trunks.
Federal prosecutors, who took over the case from local authorities, said Hernandez didn’t have the required Merchant Mariner Credential while operating a boat on a tour for paying customers that had been arranged through a tour company and that the Yamaha AR210 was of a type and size that could never have received the sort of Coast Guard certificate of inspection needed to operate it legally with paying customers on board.