A New York Harbor boat capsize left a church group grieving after a survivor said she held five-month-old Antonella Garcia just moments before the child and her mother died. The deadly New York boat capsize unfolded off Liberty Island late Saturday after a celebration on the water turned into disaster.
Elizabeth Velez told NBC New York that Antonella had been handed to her so the baby’s mother, Sara Sanchez, could try to fit her with a life jacket. Prosecutors say no child-sized life vests were available, and they also say the 14 friends aboard were not made to wear life jackets. Velez described Antonella as cheerful and quiet during the trip. “She was a very happy girl. She didn’t cry the whole way,” she said.
The outing was meant to celebrate the birthday of someone in the church congregation. Velez said the group sang happy birthday and enjoyed the gathering before the trip took a tragic turn about three hours in. Sanchez, 27, was on board with her husband, Andres Garcia, 29, who was also the baby’s father. The family and friends had gathered for what Velez called a celebration that ended in tragedy.
Then, just before 10:30 p.m., the boat was hit by a swell and flipped. Velez said the water and current gave her no time to react. “That current came, and it was strong. I closed my eyes, and there was no time for anything,” she said. When she came back up, she could see the others from the group, but Sanchez and Antonella were gone.
