‘Everyone was on the bottom’: Survivor recalls terrifying moments as New York Harbor boat flipped

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A passenger aboard the boat that capsized in New York Harbor detailed the terrifying moment water rushed into the vessel, leaving a mother and her 5-month-old baby dead.

Sara Raez, 20, was among the 14 people on the motorboat that capsized Saturday night as it headed back from the Statue of Liberty. According to reports, the group had boarded the vessel at Randall for a surprise 41st birthday celebration for her mother, Paula Rivera. However, the boat flipped within seconds, turning the celebration into tragedy.

Passenger recalls New York Harbor boat flipping in seconds

Raez told the New York Post that the passengers were traveling slowly when people suddenly started screaming. She said, “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 further mentioned, “The water got into the boat. The boat went up, and when it went down, it was in seconds, it flipped over.”

Passengers found themselves trapped beneath the overturned vessel and struggled to escape.

“Everyone was on the bottom of the boat. We were just trying to get out,” Raez said.

Once they escaped into the water, the survivors realized two people were still missing: Sara Sanchez, 27, of College Point, Queens, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella Garcia. The mother and baby were later found dead.

Survivors searched for missing mother and baby

Raez recalled that roughly 15-20 minutes after the boat overturned, some survivors managed to cling to the capsized vessel and eventually spotted another party boat.

“Then we saw another boat, and we all started screaming, ‘Help, help, help.’ And they started getting close. They started throwing life jackets, and I started swimming towards it,” she said.

Among those rescued was Andres Garcia, Sanchez's boyfriend and Antonella's father. Rivera said, “He has to figure out how to live without them, it’s a big loss.”

“Nobody is prepared for this to happen,” Raez added.

Boat carried more passengers than its stated capacity

The vessel was carrying 14 people despite online specifications and NYPD sources indicating that it had seating capacity for no more than 10. Rivera said the boating company had told the group that “everything” was legal, including the number of people aboard.

The operator also told the family that Antonella could come along as long as she wore a life vest, while the other passengers were not required to wear one, Rivera said.

The boat had been chartered through Zeus Luxury, which describes itself online as a company offering limousine, party bus and yacht rentals in the tri-state area.