Coworkers support father who lost wife, daughter in boat capsizing near Statue of Liberty
Andres Garcia’s wife, Sara Sanchez, and their young daughter, Antonella, died after the boat overturned Saturday night.
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The coworkers of a father who lost his wife and young daughter in Saturday night’s deadly boat capsizing near the Statue of Liberty are coming together to help him and his surviving son.
Andres Garcia’s wife, Sara Sanchez, and their young daughter, Antonella, died after the boat overturned Saturday night. Garcia and his young son survived.
Now, the people who worked alongside Garcia at the Marco Hotel and Il Punto Ristorante say they are doing what they can to support a man they consider family.
“We are not just coworkers and his bosses, but also his family,” said Antonio Russo, general manager of Il Punto Ristorante.
Garcia has worked for the businesses - which are under the same ownership - for about six years. His bosses say he started as a houseman at the hotel and worked his way into management. He also waited tables at the Manhattan restaurant.
Russo said Garcia often worked 50 to 60 hours a week, helping support his family in New York and relatives in Colombia.
One of the moments that stuck with his coworkers happened shortly after the boat overturned.
Santina Wiggins, an assistant general manager at the Marco Hotel, said Garcia called the hotel and told them he had lost his phone and would not be able to come to work the next day. She believes he had not fully realized what had happened yet.
“We’re all broken right now,” Wiggins said. “There’s a cloud over the hotel.”
Garcia’s coworkers have started a GoFundMe to provide financial support as he and his son grieve.
Garcia’s coworkers are also thinking about his son, who turns 6 on Thursday.
They are planning a small birthday party for him at the hotel and inviting employees to bring their own children.
Russo said he hopes the boy can be surrounded by toys and people who want him to know he is loved during an incredibly difficult week.
“If this kid could be full of toys on Thursday, that would be amazing,” Russo said.
The boat operator was arrested following the capsizing.
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating what caused the vessel to overturn and is working to determine whether it was being operated as an illegal charter.
The Coast Guard said everyone aboard the overturned vessel was recovered from the water. Garcia’s wife and daughter died shortly after they were rescued, while the other survivors were reported to be in stable condition.
