2 Union County Men Arrested In Boat Tour Drowning Of 7-Year-Old, Woman

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Two Union County men were charged on Thursday with causing the deaths of a 7-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman after a boat they were operating on the Hudson River for tours capsized, said authorities.

Richard Cruz, 32, and Jaime Pinilla Gomez, 25, both of Elizabeth, are each charged with one count of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, announced Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Rear Admiral John Mauger, Commander of the First Coast Guard District.

Cruz and Gomez purchased a boat called "Stimulus Money"around three months before the capsizing on July 12, 2022, and conducted boat "tours" for paying customers on multiple occasions, according to authorities.

However, authorities said Cruz and Gomez did not have the required United States Coast Guard (“USCG”) credentials and certifications to do so. Cruz was

On July 12, 2022, at around 2:40 p.m., Cruz and Gomez had 13 people on board the boat, exceeding the vessel’s maximum allowable capacity and were also driving at a high rate of speed during a Small Craft Advisory in high winds and heavy seas.

Authorities said both factors caused the boat to capsize on the Hudson River.

Boats from the New York City Police Department Harbor Unit and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Dive Rescue Team, and ferries nearby worked to recover 10 passengers and Gomez who was driving the boat.

Those rescued were conscious and in varying medical conditions. They were taken to hospitals in Manhattan and survived the capsizing.

About 25 minutes after the capsizing, the FDNY Dive Rescue Team recovered the 7-year-old boy and the 48-year-old woman from the Hudson River.

The victims were trapped underneath the capsized vessel and found unconscious. Emergency medical personnel subsequently pronounced the victims dead with the cause of death was drowning, said authorities.

"Federal regulations and safety protocols exist to ensure that captains and operators of commercial vessels keep passengers safe. The defendants allegedly flouted those regulations, recklessly disregarded safety protocols, operated the vessel at an unsafe speed in hazardous conditions, and overloaded the vessel with too many passengers onboard. And the result was tragic — a young boy and a woman were trapped under the vessel and drowned after the vessel capsized," said Williams.

"This case demonstrates the deadly consequences of illegal passenger operations. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims today," said Mauger.

The public is asked to report any illegal passenger charters to the USCG at p3tips.com/878.

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