New Jersey charter boat owner pleads guilty to misconduct leading to fatal capsizing in Hudson River
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has announced that one person pled guilty to misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, in connection with the deaths of a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman after the motor vessel Stimulus Money capsized in the Hudson River in July 2022.
New Jersey resident Richard Cruz, owner and captain of Stimulus Money, pled guilty before United States District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who will sentence Cruz on January 25, 2025.
On or about July 12, 2022, at approximately 14:40 local time, Stimulus Money capsized in the Hudson River resulting in the death of two passengers — a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman.
Cruz had purchased the vessel approximately three months before the capsizing. He conducted boat “tours” for paying customers on board the vessel on multiple occasions in the months leading up to the capsizing, despite not having the required United States Coast Guard credentials and certifications to do so.
The US Department of Justice said Cruz’s negligent actions and omissions caused the capsizing and the deaths of the two victims.
At the time of the capsizing, among other things:
Cruz operated Stimulus Money with 13 people on board, exceeding the vessel’s maximum allowable capacity.
Cruz operated Stimulus Money at a high rate of speed even though an advisory had been issued to alert small watercraft of hazardous conditions, including high winds and heavy seas.
Cruz had not obtained a required US Coast Guard certification to operate the vessel with paying customers on board.
Cruz operated Stimulus Money without a valid US Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection, which is required for a vessel to operate with paying customers on board.
All 13 people on board Stimulus Money were thrown overboard when it capsized in the Hudson River. Shortly after the capsizing, boats from the New York City Police Department’s Harbor Unit and the New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) Dive Rescue Team, and ferries operating nearby arrived at the scene of the capsizing to render emergency assistance.
All but two passengers were recovered conscious and in varying medical conditions. They were subsequently transferred to hospitals in Manhattan and survived the capsizing.
Approximately 25 minutes after the capsizing, members of the FDNY Dive Rescue Team recovered the two victims from the Hudson River. They were trapped underneath the capsized vessel and found unconscious.
Emergency medical personnel subsequently pronounced both victims deceased. The cause of death was drowning.
