Man admits he drank beer before Barnegat Bay boat crash that killed his 2 grandchildren
Stephen Schneider told police he had three beers, according to court documents.
BARNEGAT BAY, N.J. (WPVI) -- A man allegedly admitted to police that he had drank some beers before getting into a boat crash that killed his two grandchildren in Barnegat Bay
Authorities said Stephen Schneider, 63, was intoxicated when he struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay last month.
Schneider allegedly told police he consumed three beers over two hours before boat crash in Barnegat Bay the fatal crash, according to court documents.
The crash occurred around 9 p.m. July 19 when Schneider's Tidewater Custom 280 struck an Intracoastal Waterway channel marker. Schneider's grandchildren, a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, were thrown from the vessel.
Court documents indicate both children were wearing life jackets and were seated at the front of the boat at the time of the crash.
Schneider allegedly told police he was traveling about 20 mph when he saw the day marker at the last second.
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Police said the lights on the channel marker were functioning properly at the time of the crash.
According to court records, Schneider said he, his grandchildren and their parents had dinner at MJ's Restaurant Bar & Grill in Bayville. The children and their parents arrived in a separate boat, but the children planned to return with their grandparents before the crash.
Schneider is charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide, operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.
He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday at 9 a.m.
