A 27-year-old woman and her five-month-old daughter died after a 22-foot Bayliner speedboat capsized in New York Harbour near Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, authorities said. The incident occurred at around 10:25 pm on Saturday, and the boat operator was arrested the following day as authorities began investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident. According to the US Coast Guard, 12 people were rescued from the water before police arrived at the scene. Police divers later located the woman and her infant daughter in the water.

Both victims were taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The identities of the mother and child had not been released as of Sunday, pending notification of their family. The remaining passengers were reported to be in stable condition following the accident. Authorities have not yet publicly established what caused the vessel to overturn. The Coast Guard said investigators were also examining whether the boat was being operated as an illegal charter, adding another focus to the investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

Police arrested the boat operator, identified as 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez, on Sunday. He was charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, police said. The charges relate to the circumstances surrounding the boat's operation and the presence of passengers on board. Hernandez's case had not yet appeared in online court records on Sunday, and no phone number for him could be located. The Coast Guard said the vessel overturned close to Liberty Island, an area that sees substantial recreational and sightseeing boat traffic. Capt. Doreen McCarthy, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York, expressed condolences to the victims' relatives and praised the emergency response.

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She also thanked partner agencies and a Good Samaritan vessel for helping rescue people from the water after the boat overturned. Adam Schwartz, who operates a sightseeing company, said his firm's hot tub boat, Sea the City II, was conducting a cruise when the accident happened. The vessel assisted in bringing the 12 survivors aboard, according to Schwartz. The assistance provided by the nearby vessel helped remove passengers from the water while emergency responders were arriving. The incident has prompted questions about the operation of the Bayliner and whether it was being used for a commercial charter service.

The Coast Guard's investigation into whether the trip constituted an illegal charter could help determine whether additional violations occurred. Authorities are expected to examine the vessel, its operating conditions, passenger arrangements and other relevant evidence. Investigators are continuing to determine the precise cause of the capsizing and the events that preceded it. The death of the mother and infant has made the incident one of the most serious recent boating accidents in New York Harbour. Police and Coast Guard officials are expected to gather further evidence as the investigation proceeds, while the victims' identities will remain undisclosed until their relatives have been formally notified.

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