The 14 passengers aboard the overcrowded motorboat that capsized in New York Harbor were celebrating a birthday before it flipped off Liberty Island late Saturday, killing a mom and her infant daughter.
The 22-foot bowrider was chartered with “Zeus Luxury” for passenger Paula Rivera’s surprise 41st birthday on Saturday before the fatal accident unfolded, her daughter, Sara Raez, told The Post.
The group of family and friends boarded the boat at Randall’s Island around 7 p.m. for what was meant to be a memorable sightseeing voyage around the Statue of Liberty.
Just hours later, the boat — which was dangerously overcrowded — capsized, killing 5-month-old Antonella Garcia and her mother, Sara Sanchez, 27, of College Point, Queens.
“We got into the boat, it was kind of like a yacht. We went to the Statue of Liberty, but we passed in a restaurant to go to the bathroom. Then we went to the Statue of Liberty. We took some pictures, and then we head back,” said Raez, 20, who was also on board.
“When we were heading back, we were slow, but out of nowhere, people started screaming because the front of the boat went into the water,” she recalled.
“The water got into the boat. The boat went up, and when it went down, it was in seconds, it flipped over,” she continued.
“Everyone was on the bottom of the boat. We were just trying to get out. Then, when finally everyone got out, everyone was screaming, because we were still missing them, too.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
