Haunting 911 Audio Reveals Chaos After Grandfather Allegedly Crashes Boat, Tragically Claiming the Lives of His Young Grandkids

Newly released 911 audio has revealed the moments after a fatal boat crash off the New Jersey coast in July, when prosecutors say a 64-year-old grandfather at the helm of a vessel that struck a channel marker lost his two young grandchildren in Barnegat Bay.

The recording captures the immediate distress on board as Stephen Schneider and his wife tried to pull seven-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek and nine-year-old Mya Bella Golabek from the dark water.

The emergency call features the children's grandmother frantically relaying their location near a wooden channel marker off Berkeley Township, telling dispatchers that one child was on the deck while her husband remained in the water searching for the other.

Prosecutors allege Schneider was operating the 28ft vessel with a blood alcohol concentration double the legal limit when the impact occurred.

911 Audio Details the Night of the Incident

The crash took place around 9pm on 19 July, after the family had been out for dinner. According to arrest records from the Berkeley Township Police Department, Schneider allegedly struck channel marker 39, which ejected both children into the bay.

Authorities later reported that the grandfather surrendered voluntarily and registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.16. He reportedly told investigators he had consumed three beers over a two-hour period before taking the helm of the vessel.

The emergency recordings cover the period before the children were rushed to a local hospital, where they were both pronounced dead.

On the call, Laurie Schneider can be heard shouting: 'We have one on the boat and my husband's in the water trying to get the other child out.'

When the dispatcher asks if the children are unconscious, the grandmother replies: 'Yes, yes they are!' As she attempts to identify their exact location in the dark, she asks her husband: 'Stephen, are we near channel marker 39?'

Grandfather Faces Serious Charges

Schneider faces two counts of reckless vessel homicide alongside charges of operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation. Despite the charges, the parents of the deceased children have publicly supported him.

During a recent court appearance, a defence attorney read a letter from the children's father, Schneider's son-in-law, pleading for his release from custody pending trial.

The father described Schneider as a 'wonderful father-in-law' and a 'loving grandfather' with a generous heart, writing that the family is better because of his presence. The presiding judge granted the request.

The case in Barnegat Bay comes amid concerns over maritime safety in the region, with New Jersey State Police reporting at least six boating fatalities this year. Law enforcement agencies have increased patrols in areas where data shows fatal accidents are most frequent.

New Jersey State Police Sergeant Bryan Davern told reporters that whenever children are involved in such accidents, the situation carries a different level of trauma for everyone responding to the scene.

Another fatal case highlighted in court this month involved a 59-year-old woman charged with death by vessel following a Memorial Day crash in the same bay that killed her 28-year-old son.

State police say they are continuing efforts to educate the public on the dangers of operating boats under the influence, mounting more proactive patrols across the coastline as the Schneider case moves towards trial.