Toms River, NJ — A New Jersey grandfather accused of killing his two young grandchildren in a drunken boating crash pushed back Tuesday against a proposed plea agreement that could have sent him to prison for 10 years.
Stephen Schneider’s attorneys told Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River that they still needed more time to review evidence before deciding whether any deal could be reached.
“We’re waiting patiently for most of the discovery, and it’s going to be a long time coming,” one of Schneider’s attorneys, William Cunningham, told the court.
The 64-year-old retired postal worker had reportedly been offered two five-year prison sentences to run consecutively in connection with the deaths of his grandchildren.
Prosecutors say Schneider was drunk during crash
The case stems from a July 19 boating crash in Berkeley Township that killed Schneider’s two grandchildren.
According to prosecutors, Schneider was allegedly operating his approximately 30-foot Tidewater 280 center-console motorboat after drinking when the vessel struck a channel marker around 9 p.m.
Schneider had been taking his wife and two grandchildren home following a family dinner when the crash occurred.
The impact threw the children from the boat. Although both youngsters were wearing life jackets, they died in the incident. The victims were identified as Mya Bella Golabek, 9, and Sigmund Paul Golabek, 7.
Schneider later turned himself in to Berkeley Township police following the crash.
The case took an even more serious turn when prosecutors said Schneider’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.16, twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Defense says more evidence still needs review
At Tuesday’s court hearing, Schneider’s lawyers argued that the case was not ready for a potential plea resolution because important evidence was still outstanding.
Prosecutors ultimately acknowledged that their proposed agreement may have come before all of the necessary information was available.
Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Heisler told the court that authorities were still waiting for an autopsy report.
“We’re going to be waiting for an autopsy report for a period of time,” Heisler said.
He also said prosecutors had made requests to the U.S. Coast Guard concerning the waterway, which would take additional time to complete.
“So I concur with counsel that it’s going to be some period of time,” Heisler said, while noting that many police reports had already been provided to Schneider’s defense team.
Family tragedy continues through court proceedings
The deadly crash has left Schneider’s family dealing with the loss of two young children while the criminal case moves forward. In August, Schneider’s son — the father of the two children who died — pleaded for his father’s release.
Schneider has remained under pre-trial monitoring since his release while the case continues through the court system.
The proposed plea agreement would have involved two consecutive five-year sentences on death-by-vessel charges. However, Tuesday’s hearing indicated that the case is not yet ready for a final resolution.
More evidence, including the pending autopsy report and information requested from the Coast Guard, could help shape the next stages of the proceedings.
For now, Schneider remains out under monitoring as his defense team continues reviewing the evidence and prosecutors await additional investigative material.
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Next court date set for November
Schneider is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 16. Until then, prosecutors and defense attorneys are expected to continue reviewing outstanding evidence related to the fatal Berkeley Township crash.
The case remains unresolved, and Tuesday’s hearing did not result in a finalized plea agreement.
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