2 Victims Of Hudson River Boat Capsizing Are Identified By Police

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The two people who died Tuesday when a boat overturned in the Hudson River were a young boy and adult woman, both from Colombia, according to police, who released the victims' names on Wednesday.

Julian Vasquez, 7, and Lindelia Vasquez, 47, lost their lives when the small jet boat capsized near Pier 86 in Midtown on Tuesday, police said. Both Colombian nationals, the woman and boy were not mother and son, according to NBC New York — but the exact relation between them remained unclear.

Authorities are still investigating what caused the boat to overturn, but police are looking into whether the boat was overloaded with people when it flipped over around 2:46 p.m., according to an NYPD spokesperson.

Police initially said nine other people were aboard the boat, but ABC7 reported that total as 11 on Wednesday — with all remaining people also hailing from Colombia. The boat, named Stimulus Money, had set sail from Elizabeth, N.J. for the trip along the Hudson, according to ABC.

Many of those injured became trapped underneath the boat when it overturned, police officials said at a news conference on Tuesday. Three people were in critical condition shortly after the accident, but they were listed as stable by Wednesday morning, police said.

Described by police as a group of friends and family members, those on board the boat included its captain, who was initially in critical condition. The boat's owner was following behind on a jetski, according to an NYPD official.

The death toll could have been higher, authorities said, were it not for the efforts of NY Waterway, a ferry company that sent two vessels to the scene and rescued nearly all of the remaining passengers from the water.

Fire Department rescuers and the NYPD Harbor scuba and aviation units also assisted in the operation, a department spokesperson said.

"This is a tragic day for New Yorkers," Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Tuesday. "Indeed, it may have well been worse were it not for the incredible efforts by not only our extraordinary first responders, but also the swift response from the NY Waterway ferries."

Mayor Eric Adams, at a press conference, noted the accident happened in nearly the same spot on the Hudson River where pilot Chesley Sullenberger landed an airplane in 2009 following an engine malfunction — with all 155 people aboard surviving.

Said Adams, "Our hearts go out to a group of people who were just using the water in our city."

Related coverage: 7-Year-Old Boy, Woman Die When Boat Flips In Hudson River: Officials