The New Jersey grandfather who killed his two grandchildren in a drunken boat crash had a blood alcohol of twice the legal limit prosecutors said — as the kids’ dad pleaded for him to be released from jail.

Judge Wendel Daniels granted the release of retired postal worker Stephen Schneider, 64, at an Ocean County court hearing Wednesday, where it was revealed Schneider allegedly had a BAC of .16 – twice the legal limit of .08.

“The defendant consumed enough alcohol to reach a BAC of approximately 0.16 and then operated a vessel and the result was catastrophic,” prosecutor Kate Burke said as she asked for Schneider to remain in jail pending trial.

Stephen Schneider was charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide/death by vessel.6
Stephen Schneider was charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide/death by vessel.Ocean County Jail
His blood alcohol level “demonstrates the degree of impairment the defendant chose to operate the vessel with,” Burke said, noting that “two children lost their lives.”

Schneider – a retired UPS worker – told cops he had three beers over two hours while at dinner with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and two grandkids.

But Schneider’s lawyer, William Cunningham, guaranteed the judge that Schneider “will probably never be on a boat again and he will never be ingesting alcohol again.

“This has cut to the root of his family.”

Stephen Schneider appears via Zoom from the Ocean County Jail during a court hearing.6
Stephen Schneider is shown during a Zoom first appearance from the Ocean County Jail before Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A Zoom meeting of an Ocean County court hearing with several participants, including Stephen Schneider, 64, who is allegedly responsible for the deaths of his two grandchildren in a boat crash.6
Stephen Schneider, 64, appears at an Ocean County court hearing on August 19, 2026.

Sigmund Golabek and Mya Golabek standing next to a chalkboard sign.6
Sigmund Golabek and Mya Golabek are pictured.Facebook / Jennifer Cisecki Golabek
Cunningham also read from a letter written by the dad of the kids and his son-in-law pleading for Schneider’s release.

“He’s been there for our family in ways that words cannot fully express. Our family is better because of him,” the letter read. “He’s a wonderful father-in-law, a loving grandfather and a man with a generous heart.”

“I’m grateful for the way he loved my children, the role he played in their lives and the example he set for them,” the letter continued.

Cunningham said both the son-in-law and Schneider’s daughter “are the victims and they are begging the court to release him.”

“They are still grieving, judge. And they need him out and he’s not a threat to anybody,” the defense attorney said.

Cunningham said Schneider was still in the hospital recovering from the injuries he sustained in the accident.

Schneider – a retired UPS worker – told cops he had three beers over two hours while at dinner with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and two grandkids.Facebook / Siggy Golabek
The lawyer said there were things the defense needed to investigate like finding out if the buoy Schneider’s boat crashed into was lit or unlit that night. He also said he wanted his own expert to confirm Schneider’s BAC.

The incident unfolded on July 19 in Barnegat Bay near Berkeley Township after a family outing at MJ’s Restaurant in Bayville.

The grandkids, Mya Golabek, 9, and Sigmund Paul Golabek, 7, – who’d gone to the restaurant in their parents’ boat – headed to their grandparents’ house in Schneider’s boat afterward.

But Schneider’s 28-foot Tidewater 280 slammed into a wood channel marker and the kids were thrown from the boat into the water. Despite wearing life vests, the siblings were found face-down.

Sigmund Golabek, 7, and Mya Golabek, 9, stand smiling for a photo.6
Sigmund Golabek and Mya Golabek were described as “best friends” with a strong “sibling bond.”Facebook / Jennifer Cisecki Golabek
Schneider and his wife performed CPR, and the children were taken to the hospital, where they died.

Schneider – who is facing two counts of reckless death by vessel and related charges – is due back in court on Sept. 15.

Schneider, who Cunningham said worked with the USP for 38 years, lives in a $1 million three-bedroom, two-bath waterfront home in Bayville, Ocean County.

SOURCE: https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/us-news/dad-of-nj-kids-killed-by-grandpa-in-dui-boating-accident-asks-for-him-to-be-released-from-jail-as-cops-reveal-how-drunk-he-was/