SerpApi.Org
Two young children, a nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy, have died after the boat they were on collided with a channel marker.
The pair were thrown from a 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280 and into the waters off Berkeley Township, New Jersey on Saturday night. State Police reported that the boat hit an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, which led to the children being ejected and thrown into the water.
Boat operator Stephen Schneider, 63, and another passenger Laurie Schneider, 64, discovered the children unresponsive in the water, according to reports.
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The couple on the boat are believed to be the grandparents of the children, as per ABC7. Sources informed Jersey Shore Online that before boarding the boat, the group had been inside MJ's Restaurant Bar and Grill.
The children were taken to hospital following the tragic incident where officials later confirmed they were pronounced dead.
In a statement, the New Jersey State Police said: "On July 19, at approximately 9:09 pm, troopers responded to the report of a serious vessel crash in the Berkeley Township Bay Area.
"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 operator, Stephen Schneider, a 63 year old male from Bayville, NJ, and occupant Laurie Schneider, a 64 year old female from Bayville, found the juveniles unresponsive in the water.
"The youngsters were taken to a local hospital, where they were declared dead. This boat accident is still under investigation, and no further information is available."
