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

A U.S. immigration authority has arrested the pilot of a speedboat that capsized in New York Harbor, killing an infant and her mother, announcing that he was in the country illegally. Manuel Ernesto Hernandez-Umana, a 46-year-old citizen of El Salvador, lied to border officers and falsely claimed he was a U.S. citizen when he entered the country in 2007, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Hernandez-Umana, who is charged with causing the deaths of 5-month-old Antonella Garcia and 27-year-old Sara Sanchez, is being held at a detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The Coast Guard investigation revealed that Hernandez was piloting an overcrowded 21-foot speedboat when it swamped and sank in choppy waters. The boat was illegally chartered, had 14 people on board, and lacked life preservers for small children.