What to Know
- The NYPD identified the 7-year-old boy and 47-year-old woman killed in a Hudson River boat capsize as Julian Vasquez and Lindelia Vasquez, an aunt and nephew
- Police had said the two were trapped under the boat and couldn't get out; the other 10 people on the boat and the boat's owner, who was on a jet ski, were pulled from the water, with three said to be in critical condition
- An investigation into the accident, which happened right in front of the USS Intrepid, is ongoing
Authorities released the identities of the woman and child killed in a Hudson River boat accident a day ago as their investigative focus turns to what went wrong in the waters off midtown Manhattan, the NYPD said Wednesday.
Lindelia Vasquez, 47, and 7-year-old Julian Vasquez were trapped under the vessel when it flipped over in the Hudson near Pier 86, in front of the USS Intrepid in the middle of the afternoon. They later died.
The two were aunt and nephew, according to the NYPD. Officials said the group of family and friends had chartered the boat out of New Jersey earlier in the day.
Lindelia Vasquez had planned the excursion for the group that was visiting the area. She owned a restaurant in the heart of the Colombian community in Elizabeth, which she was a huge part of. Friends said she was generous, hardworking and kind.
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In a video exclusive obtained by NBC New York, the family could be seen in Brisas Bakery and Restaurant in Elizabeth hours before boarding the doomed boat. They were buying food for what should have been a beautiful day, loading up on hundreds of dollars worth of empanadas, cheese, bread and sweets. Little Julian was seen holding an armful of frozen drinks, happy and excited for the day of cruising the Hudson.
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Albiero Orozco, who owns the eatery, said he had known Lindelia Vasquez and the family for some time.
"I know the people for long time. I see them every day, they come in my place every day to eat, talking to me," he said.
In a tragic twist, the owner of the Brisas restaurant said Lindelia had initially wanted to rent a boat and take her family — visiting from Florida and Colombia — to spend the day on a North Jersey lake, but they had convinced her to go on the Hudson instead.
"She made the decision for New York because the people, it was their first time here, they wanted to see New York," said Orozco.
Lindelia Vasquez and Julian Vasquez were among the 12 aboard who found themselves in the water when the boat capsized around 2:45 p.m. Nearby ferries raced to the scene to help police and fire department rescuers get people out of the choppy waters.
New video from a timelapse camera overlooking the Hudson from New Jersey showed two vessels — the boat and a jet ski behind it, which the owner of the boat was said to be riding — jetting along side-by-side, when one suddenly overturned. A large splash can be seen in the video, ultimately leaving Lindelia Vasquez and Julian Vasquez trapped under the watercraft.
Three people, including the 24-year-old captain of the vessel, were said to have been critically injured in the accident. No updates were immediately available on their condition Wednesday. The captain was given a field sobriety test at the scene that yielded negative results and authorities say no criminality is suspected at this time.
Coast Guard officials said the group was on a 24-foot Yamaha AR-240 jet boat, named "Stimulus Money." They're not yet sure if it was chartered, as was initially reported, or if the boat was a privately-owned pleasure craft. The 3,660-pound boat has a top speed just below 52 MPH. It also has the capacity to hold the 12 people who were on it at the time of the capsize but it's not clear how much total weight, including equipment and other items in addition to the humans, was on the boat when it happened.
Investigators are looking into whether the boat may have been overloaded. The vessel was towed to another pier at the NYPD Harbor Unit's facility on Randalls Island for further investigation.
The Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday that "we can't stress enough how important it is to know your vessel's limits and how to safely navigate the water you are operating in."
According to a preliminary investigation, the owner of the boat rushed to call for help from ferries at the nearby NY Waterway terminal after seeing it flip over from the jet ski he was riding. The owner's identity isn't known. He was one of 13 people pulled from the water by two ferries that came to the rescue, along with NYPD and FDNY harbor units, as the hull bobbed in the river.
The surviving boat-goers plucked from the water were ushered away still in their bathing suits, heartbroken by the losses.
“Our hearts go out to a group of people who were just using the water in our city,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference shortly after the tragedy on Tuesday. “This is a devastating moment for them and those who were part of the families that were there...The water is an enjoyable part of New York, but it can be a dangerous place."
What caused the boat to capsize is under investigation, said Inspector Anthony Russo, commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s Harbor Unit. Investigators planned to look at the water conditions -- like the constant challenges posed by boat wakes and currents -- as well as other factors, like how many, if any, people were wearing lifejackets.
Authorities are also looking into whether the weather, which was humid and unsettled at the time, may have played a role. Strong winds had prompted a small craft advisory on the Hudson at the time the boat flipped over.
“There's a lot of commercial and recreational traffic during the day here. We also have a lot of people on Jet Skis, kayaks,” Russo said. "The Hudson River is always a dangerous place to operate."
