Speedboat driver in fatal New York Harbor capsizing was in the US illegally, authorities say

Speedboat driver in fatal New York Harbor capsizing was in the US illegally, authorities say 1 of 2 | Manuel Hernandez leaves U.S. district court in Manhattan with his lawyer, Amy Gallicchio, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, after being charged in the deaths of two people in a boating accident in New York Harbor. (AP Photo/Larry Neumeister) 2 of 2 | The New York skyline and Statue of Liberty are seen on May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) 1 of 2 | Manuel Hernandez leaves U.S. district court in Manhattan with his lawyer, Amy Gallicchio, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, after being charged in the deaths of two people in a boating accident in New York Harbor. (AP Photo/Larry Neumeister) 1 of 2 Manuel Hernandez leaves U.S. district court in Manhattan with his lawyer, Amy Gallicchio, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, after being charged in the deaths of two people in a boating accident in New York Harbor. (AP Photo/Larry Neumeister) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 2 | The New York skyline and Statue of Liberty are seen on May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) 2 of 2 The New York skyline and Statue of Liberty are seen on May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] NEW YORK (AP) — The pilot of a speedboat that capsized during a tour around the Statue of Liberty, drowning an infant and her mother, has been arrested by U.S. Immigration authorities who say he was in the country illegally.Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, who has a pending federal criminal case in connection with the Aug. 8 crash, lied to a border officer and falsely claimed he was a U.S. citizen when he entered the country in Texas in 2007, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.Hernandez-Umana, 46, a citizen of El Salvador, is being held at a Immigration-and-customs-enforcement" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="159711" data-entity-type="organization">U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, according to online records. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he will eventually be deported.Immigration authorities arrested him after he was released on bail in his criminal case, where he is charged with causing the deaths of 5-month old Antonella Garcia and 27-year-old Sara Sanchez through misconduct or neglect. According to prosecutors, Hernandez-Umana wasn’t licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard, wasn’t aware of basic safety rules and told investigators he’d borrowed his friend’s personal vessel for the New York Harbor excursion. The boat was illegally chartered and overcrowded, prosecutors said.“Once he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country,” Mullin said in a statement.