Charter Boat Owner Pleads Guilty for Fatal Capsizing

The owner of an unlicensed and overcrowded charter boat that capsized in the Hudson River in 2022, resulting in the deaths of a woman and her nephew, has pleaded guilty to misconduct and neglect. Richard Cruz, 32, admitted to causing the deaths of the victims following the capsizing of the speedboat Stimulus Money in July 2022. Cruz is facing up to 10 years in prison and is set to be sentenced in January next year.

Cruz had purchased the boat just three months prior to the incident and conducted boat tours for paying customers without the required United States Coast Guard (USCG) licensing or certificate of inspection. On July 12, 2022, Cruz took Stimulus Money out on the Hudson River with 13 people on board, exceeding the boat’s maximum capacity. Despite a small craft advisory for high winds and waves, Cruz operated the boat at high speed, leading to its capsizing.

When Stimulus Money capsized, all 13 people on board were thrown overboard. Eleven survivors were rescued by the NYPD, FDNY, and good samaritan vessels, but the woman and her nephew were trapped underneath the capsized vessel and found unconscious 25 minutes later. They were pronounced deceased by the coroner, who determined that they had drowned. Cruz has pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, with the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York emphasizing the consequences for failing to follow safety protocols.

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