A nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy drowned after being ejected from a boat that struck a channel marker in the Intercoastal Waterway off Berkeley Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night, July 19. The children were passengers on a 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280 vessel operated by Stephen Schneider, 63, of Bayville, who is believed to be their grandfather. Laurie Schneider, 64, also of Bayville, was a fellow passenger. According to the New Jersey State Police, the boat collided with an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker at approximately 9:09 pm, causing both children to be thrown into the water.
Details of the Incident
The operator and passenger found the children unresponsive in the water and transported them to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The New Jersey State Police confirmed the fatalities in a statement: "Based on a preliminary investigation, a Tidewater Custom 280 30-foot vessel, while travelling through the Intercoastal Waterway, struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, causing a 9 year old juvenile female and a 7 year old juvenile male to be ejected into the water." The statement added that the accident remains under investigation, and no further information is available.
Background and Aftermath
Sources told Jersey Shore Online that the group had been dining at MJ's Restaurant Bar and Grill before boarding the vessel. The children's identities have not been released. The incident has shocked the local community, with authorities urging boaters to exercise caution on the water. The New Jersey State Police are leading the investigation into the crash.
Separate Incident: Bordeaux Airport Fire
In unrelated news, a major fire near Bordeaux Airport in France temporarily grounded flights and claimed the lives of two firefighters. The blaze ignited on Avenue Roland Garros, near the airport's long-term P4 car park, around 2:30 pm local time, burning approximately one hectare. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the firefighters' deaths. Departing flights were halted and roads cordoned off, but services have since resumed after the fire was brought under control.
