Grandfather charged in fatal Barnegat Bay boat crash released from jail
Stephen Schneider is charged with operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel in the July 19 crash.
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Stephen Schneider, the grandfather charged in a Barnegat Bay boat crash that killed two children in July, was released from jail following a detention hearing Wednesday.
Schneider faces two counts of reckless vessel homicide, as well as charges of operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.
Police say Schneider had consumed three beers before operating the boat, which struck a channel marker in Barnegat Bay. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol content after the crash was 0.16, twice the legal limit.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office had sought to keep Schneider jailed pending trial.
READ MORE: Police: Bayville man was intoxicated in fatal boating incident
READ MORE: Two children killed after boat strikes channel marker in Barnegat Bay
Police say Schneider was operating a Tidewater Custom 280 on Barnegat Bay at about 9 p.m. July 19 when it struck a channel marker, killing 9-year-old Mya Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Golabek. The children were wearing life jackets and sitting at the front of the boat when they were thrown from the vessel, according to police.
Schneider’s attorney, William Cunningham, argued for his release, noting that Schneider has no prior criminal record and that multiple letters of support were submitted by family members, including the parents of Mya and Sigmund.
Cunningham also argued that it was unclear whether the light on the channel marker was working.
A judge granted Schneider’s release, citing largely his lack of a criminal record and the children’s parents’ request that he be released from jail.
