Two children are dead after being thrown off a boat Sunday night on the Barnegat Bay, near the Bayville section of Berkeley Township.

State police and the US Coast Guard say 63-year-old Stephen Schneider was piloting a 30-foot Tidewater Custom vessel when he struck channel Marker 39 in the Barnegat Bay.

The children, a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, were thrown overboard.

The captain and another adult, Laurie Schneider, found the children in the water.

“The firemen jumped right in...The one child had a life jacket next to him. Of course, with CPR being performed, they're going to remove it,” said Berkeley Township Councilman James Byrnes.

The councilman says navigation Marker 39 was fully functioning Sunday night and lights were working.

Resident Michelle Monticello says this tragedy has shaken this community to its core.

“I just came to pay my respects quietly. It's a very tight community, feeling very disheartened, very sad,” said Monticello.

Rescue crews staged near the pier at MJ’s Restaurant, and both children were rushed to a hospital in Toms River but did not survive.

Police have not yet released names of the children or their relationship to the adults onboard the vessel.

“We make sure our first responders are taken care of. I have the equipment they need. They're going to be living with this forever in our hearts, and our thoughts go out to the family. This is a real tragedy,” said Councilman Byrnes.