Two children aged seven and nine BOTH drown during boating trip with their grandparents

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:44, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 19:44, 21 July 2026 Two young children have died after the boat they were aboard crashed into a channel marker. The nine-year-old girl and seven-year-old boy were thrown from a 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280 on Saturday night into waters off Berkeley Township, New Jersey.  State Police said the vessel struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, causing the youngsters to be ejected. Boat operator Stephen Schneider, 63, and another occupant Laurie Schneider, 64, found the children unresponsive in the water, they said. The couple are believed to be the children's grandparents, per ABC7. Sources told Jersey Shore Online that prior to getting on the boat, the group had been inside MJ's Restaurant Bar and Grill.  The children were raced to the hospital following the crash where Garden State officials said they were pronounced deceased.   A nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy died after they were thrown from a 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280 on Saturday night into waters off Berkeley Township State Police said the vessel struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, seen here, causing the youngsters to be thrown into the water 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 traveling 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, located the juveniles unresponsive in the water.  'The juveniles were transported to an area hospital, where they were pronounced deceased. 'This vessel crash remains under investigation, and no additional information is available.'