A birthday celebration aboard a chartered motorboat in New York Harbor ended in tragedy Saturday night when the vessel capsized, killing a mother and her infant daughter. The 22-foot boat, chartered for Paula Rivera's surprise 41st birthday, was carrying 14 passengers when it overturned off Liberty Island.
The victims were identified as Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia. Passengers reported that the group had boarded the boat at Randall's Island around 7 p.m. for a sightseeing tour around the Statue of Liberty.
According to Sara Raez, 20, who was on board with her mother, Paula Rivera, and father, Alexandre Raez, 44, the group had stopped briefly before heading towards the Statue of Liberty for photos. "We went to the Statue of Liberty, but we passed in a restaurant to go to the bathroom. Then we went to the Statue of Liberty. We took some pictures, and then we head back," Raez recounted.
As the boat was heading back, Raez described a sudden shift in the vessel. "We were slow, but out of nowhere, people started screaming because the front of the boat went into the water," she said. "The water got into the boat. The boat went up, and when it went down, it was in seconds, it flipped over."
Passengers found themselves at the bottom of the capsized boat, struggling to get out. "Everyone was on the bottom of the boat. We were just trying to get out. Then, when finally everyone got out, everyone was screaming, because we were still missing them, too," Raez added.
The boat, identified as a "Zeus Luxury" charter, was described as dangerously overcrowded. Efforts were underway on August 9, 2026, to lift the overturned vessel from the harbor.