Survivor Recounts the Terrifying Seconds Before She and 13 Others Were Thrown Into New York Harbor — and the Desperate Cries That Followed

The birthday group expected an evening of sightseeing beside one of New York City's most famous landmarks. Within seconds, they were trapped beneath an overturned boat, and two loved ones had vanished in the harbor.

Paula Rivera and her daughter, Sara Raez, survived the horrifying accident on Saturday, August 8, 2026. Their accounts reveal how quickly the celebration collapsed, what passengers were allegedly told before boarding, and the painful uncertainty that followed their rescue as two of their loved ones had disappeared.

A Surprise Birthday Cruise Left Randall's Island

The 21-foot bowrider had been booked through a legit company for Paula's surprise 41st birthday celebration. According to the New York Post, the group consisted of 14 relatives and friends.

They boarded at Randall's Island at approximately 7 p.m. and headed toward the Statue of Liberty. The plan was to give Paula a memorable sightseeing trip around New York Harbor.

The passengers included a 27-year-old mother from College Point, Queens, her 5-month-old daughter, and her partner, Andres Garcia. The couple's 6-year-old son, Salvador Garcia, was not on the boat.

As the vessel began returning from Liberty Island later that evening, the mood changed with terrifying speed.

The Boat Rose Before Everything Turned Upside Down

Sara, 20, remembered water entering the vessel shortly before it capsized. There was almost no time for anyone aboard to understand the danger or prepare for impact. "The water got into the boat. The boat went up, and when it went down, it was in seconds, it flipped over," she said.

All 14 passengers were thrown into the harbor. Some initially found themselves beneath the overturned vessel and had to fight their way out.

"Everyone was on the bottom of the boat. We were just trying to get out," Sara recalled. Once they surfaced, panic spread because the mother and baby were nowhere to be seen.

"Then, when finally everyone got out, everyone was screaming, because we were still missing them, too," she said.

Those cries continued as the survivors struggled to remain near the capsized boat. Some climbed on top of its exposed hull while others stayed in the water.

Their First Attempts to Get Help Failed

Roughly 15 minutes passed before the stranded group spotted another vessel in the distance. They waved desperately, but the boat did not come to them. A second vessel eventually appeared. Sara described it as another party boat, and everyone immediately began shouting for its attention.

"Then we saw another boat, and we all started screaming, 'Help, help, help.' And they started getting close," she said. People aboard the approaching boat threw life jackets into the water. Sara swam toward it as the rescue effort began.

Andres was among those pulled from the harbor. Photographs later showed the grieving father weeping after his rescue, while the search for his partner and infant daughter continued.

The survivors repeatedly asked authorities to find the missing pair, but Sara said they received no immediate answers.

"We would just keep screaming, 'Please help us find them.' And then police wouldn't tell us anything," she recalled. "Then we went to the police, and then we went to the hospital. And we spent the whole night there."

The Family Says They Were Assured It Was Legal

Paula said the boating company, Zeus Luxury, had told the group that "everything" about the trip was legal, including the number of passengers allowed aboard.

The vessel reportedly had seating for no more than 10 people, based on its online specifications and information from NYPD sources. Fourteen passengers were packed onto it that night.

Paula also said the operator permitted the 5-month-old baby to board as long as she wore a life vest. According to Paula, the remaining passengers were told they did not need to wear one.

Those assurances now carry crushing weight for the survivors. The birthday trip ended with the deaths of the young mother and her infant daughter. Even more heartbreaking, Sara revealed that Salvador's birthday was coming later that same week.

The 6-year-old now faces that occasion without his mother and sister. Paula had been present when the baby was born, making the tragedy intensely personal for her. "He [Andres] has to figure out how to live without them. It's a big loss," Paula said.

Sara expressed the shock that remained after the family's night at the hospital. "Nobody is prepared for this to happen," she said. The mother and the baby have been identified: Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, and the captain of the boat now faces serious criminal charges.

According to our earlier report, shortly before 10:30 p.m., everyone aboard the 2019 white Yamaha AR210 was thrown into New York Harbor. Emergency footage described by the New York Post showed red and blue lights moving across the dark water as rescue crews searched for passengers.

NYPD helicopters hovered above the harbor while FDNY vessels, the U.S. Coast Guard and Air Sea Rescue joined the response. The following morning, images showed crews lifting the overturned 21-foot bowrider from the water.

Witness Madeline Hunter remembered the frantic activity around the scene. "I saw a lot of ambulances, firefighters, and then I saw that there were boats here," she told Eyewitness News.

"And then people were just saying that there was a mother and a child that needed to be rescued from the water and that they were found."

Sara and Antonella were pulled from the harbor and taken to a hospital, where both were pronounced dead. A loved one could be heard crying, "No! Why? Why? No!" at the hospital that night.

A Father Returned Without His Family

Andres was photographed crying as rescuers brought him to safety. He had worked hard to provide for Sara and their children, his boss said, and the family had moved into their College Point, Queens, neighborhood only two months earlier.

Neighbor Diego Naranjo struggled to absorb the news. "I'm in shock right now," Diego told the New York Post. "She was a really nice person. My condolences to her family." The couple came from Colombia and had no other relatives in the United States, according to Andres' employer.

Sara, Antonella, the captain, and 11 other passengers had been aboard the boat. Along with Sara, the women were ages 20, 41, 43, 43, 44, and 45, while the six men, including the operator, ranged from 29 to 58.

All but one passenger lived in Queens. The exception was a 58-year-old man from Park Avenue between East 95th and East 96th streets in Manhattan.

The other 11 passengers rescued from the harbor were transported to NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, formerly Lutheran Hospital. They were in stable condition with minor injuries, and some still held their life jackets after arriving.

The Captain Faces 13 Charges

Police identified the boat's operator as Manuel Hernandez, 46, whose last known address was an upscale Midtown Manhattan building near Central Park South. His relationship to Sara, Andres and the other passengers remained unclear.

Manuel was taken into custody and charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment. Authorities indicated that additional charges connected to Sara and Antonella's deaths could follow as the investigation continued.

Toxicology testing did not indicate that Manuel was impaired at the time, according to law enforcement sources. Investigators instead turned their attention toward the vessel's passenger load and the circumstances surrounding the outing.

The Factors That May Have Contributed to the Incident

One of the factors that may have contributed to the incident is that the AR210 had 14 people aboard despite a typical capacity of approximately 10, according to online specifications and police sources.

A knowledgeable source said even 10 would have been excessive for that part of New York Harbor, where an experienced captain should have limited the boat to five passengers.

"Recreational boating in New York Harbor is the Wild West," the source said, citing uncharted debris, riprap, bridge abutments, anchorage chains, commercial shipping channels and seaplane traffic.

The number of passengers was only one concern. The second factor is something that the Coast Guard is currently investigating: whether the birthday outing had been run as an illegal charter, creating questions about its equipment and oversight.

Such operations "often lack necessary safety equipment and may not meet the same safety standards as legal charters," the Coast Guard warned. Although Paula's group was assured it was all legit, the investigation will determine the truth.

A Painful Parallel and a Community's Support

New York City had witnessed a similar loss four years earlier. In July 2022, an overloaded boat carrying a group near Pier 86 in Manhattan capsized, trapping and killing 7-year-old Julian Vasquez and his relative, 50-year-old Lindelia Vasquez.

Julian and Lindelia were visiting from Colombia and had joined family members for an outing around the five boroughs. Their deaths now carry a painful resemblance to the loss of Sara and Antonella.

Andres' workplace, Il Punto Ristorante near Times Square, and the Marco LaGuardia Hotel created a fundraiser to help him and Salvador. At the time of publication, it had received over $16,000 from several donations toward a $30,000 goal.

The money is intended to cover funeral and memorial arrangements, living expenses, childcare, time away from work, and other unexpected costs. Organizers asked the public to respect the family's need for privacy.

In a Facebook post, Il Punto described Andres as a beloved member of its family and wrote, "Our hearts are with Andres and his family as they navigate this tremendous loss."

No donation can restore the family Andres and Salvador had before August 8. Those who knew Sara and Antonella are now surrounding father and son with practical help, prayers, and condolences as they begin grieving two lives lost far too soon. Our hearts go out to them.