Manville boat operator held by ICE after mom, baby died near Statue of Liberty

✅The NJ man accused of piloting the boat that flipped near the Statue of Liberty is in ICE custody

✅A mother and her 5-month-old daughter died in New York Harbor on Aug. 8.

✅ DHS says Hernandez will be deported after he faces justice in the criminal case

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it has taken into custody the Manville man accused of piloting a boat that overturned near the Statue of Liberty on Aug. 8, killing a mother and her baby daughter.

Manuel Hernandez-Umana was piloting the boat that was overcrowded and not properly licensed to transport passengers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. His home address was initially reported as Manhattan, but officials say he lives in Manville.

Sara Sanchez, 27, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia, both of Queens, died after the boat capsized.

 ALSO READ: NJ teachers staring at massive health insurance hike

Andres Garcia(left), 5-year-old son Salvador, Sara Sanchez

ICE takes boat operator into custody after deadly capsize

Hernandez-Umana is in the United States illegally from El Salvador and will be deported after he "faces justice for his crimes," according to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. He credited an investigation by the Coast Guard Investigative Service with learning his immigration status.

“This criminal illegal alien was illegally and recklessly conducting unlicensed boat tours in New York Harbor when his boat capsized, killing a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old baby,” Mullin said. “Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the Coast Guard, ICE, and our federal, state, and local partners, this criminal is off our streets and out of our waterways. Once he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country.”

Hernandez-Umana told investigators he entered the United States through Texas in 2007, lied to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen so that he could enter the country, according to ICE.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom