Richard Cruz, Maritime Negligence, New York 2024

A 33-year-old New Jersey man has been held accountable for his role in a tragic Hudson River boat capsizing that resulted in the deaths of a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman in July 2022.

RICHARD CRUZ, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla to 18 months in prison for his misconduct and negligent actions that caused the capsizing of his motor vessel, Stimulus Money, in the Hudson River.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, CRUZ operated the vessel with 13 people on board, exceeding the vessel’s maximum allowable capacity, and at a high rate of speed despite hazardous conditions, including high winds and heavy seas. He also failed to obtain the required United States Coast Guard (USCG) certification to operate the vessel with paying customers on board and did not have a valid USCG Certificate of Inspection.

The capsizing occurred on July 12, 2022, at approximately 2:40 p.m., resulting in the deaths of a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman. The cause of death was drowning.

CRUZ has been ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution for the funeral expenses of the victims.

The case was handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey W. Coyle in charge of the prosecution.

U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon praised the outstanding investigative work of the USCG Investigative Service and the Special Agents and NYPD Detectives assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

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