A New Jersey grandfather who was at the helm of a boat when it crashed in Barnegat Bay, killing his two young grandchildren, was ordered released from the Ocean County Jail on Wednesday morning, pending the outcome of the criminal case against him. The release came one month to the day after the accident, with 64-year-old Stephen Schneider of Berkeley Township appearing before the judge by video from the jail rather than in person.
The crash happened on July 19, when the roughly 30-foot vessel slammed into a channel marker in Barnegat Bay. Schneider's two grandchildren, 9-year-old Mya Bella Golabek and 7-year-old Sigmund Paul Golabek, both of Lacey, were ejected from the boat. Schneider and his wife were able to pull the children from the water, but despite CPR administered by first responders, both were pronounced dead at Community Medical Center.
Schneider is facing two second-degree counts of reckless vessel homicide, along with operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel. If convicted, he faces the prospect of years in state prison. The hearing centered on whether he should remain in custody while the case moves toward trial, given the seriousness of the charges stemming from the deaths of the two children.
The state argued that Schneider should stay behind bars. Prosecutors pointed to the two death-by-vessel counts and to the results of a blood draw approved by warrant a few hours after the crash. That test showed a blood alcohol content of 0.16 percent, twice New Jersey's legal limit of 0.08 percent. The assistant prosecutor described that reading as enormously significant in assessing the danger involved.
The defense countered that the allegation was one of reckless conduct rather than anything intentional, saying no purposeful or knowing conduct was alleged. Schneider's attorney highlighted his lack of a significant criminal history, his lifelong New Jersey residence, and the emotional weight of the loss of his grandchildren. The attorney also said the blood alcohol reading would be subject to re-examination by an independent lab.
In an unusual turn, the parents of the two children supported Schneider's release. His attorney read a portion of a letter written to the judge by the children's father, Schneider's son-in-law. The letter described Schneider as a wonderful father-in-law, a loving grandfather, and a man with a generous heart, expressing gratitude for the way he had loved the children and for the example he had set for them.
The judge ultimately granted a conditional release. Under those conditions, Schneider is temporarily prohibited from operating a boat or a motor vehicle while he completes a court-ordered assessment. He now remains free as the case proceeds, with the criminal proceedings against him still to be resolved in the months ahead.