Identities of men killed in Jose Fernandez boat crash released
Alan Gomez
The identity of the two other victims in the fatal boating accident involving Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez were released Monday.
Miami residents Emilio Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25, were killed along with Fernandez when a 32-foot fishing boat struck a jetty near Government Cut channel near Miami early Sunday morning, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical examiner's office.
The three were close friends and the boat was often seen in the waters where it eventually crashed sometime early Sunday morning.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is leading the investigation into the crash, the overturned boat was found about 3:30 am on Sunday morning during a routine patrol by the Coast Guard. The commission said the boat was traveling southbound when it struck the jetty, causing "extensive damage" on the boat and killing all three aboard.
Investigators have not concluded who was driving or the exact time of the accident. But they found that Fernandez was the registered owner of the SeaVee fishing boat.
Fernandez, 24, had posted many pictures online of himself fishing with friends on a boat named "Caught Looking," with the "C" replaced with a backward "K" - the shorthand symbol for recording a looking strikeout in a baseball scorecard.
The statement from the Florida wildlife commission said the boat was towed to a FWC facility to continue its investigation into the crash. The commission gave no timetable for completing its investigation.
Fernandez was scheduled to pitch tonight's game against the New York Mets.
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Macias and Rivero are alums of G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School, which posted a message on its Instagram account memorializing the men.
Macias' family has set up a GoFundMe page for his funeral expenses, describing him as an "amazing son, brother, grandson, boyfriend, cousin, friend." As of 1 p.m. Monday, the drive had raised $12,000 toward its goal of $30,000. Rivero's family also set up a GoFundMe page for his funeral expenses, describing him as a "beautiful angel" who was "full of life, full of love, and full of happiness." As of 1 p.m. Monday, that page had raised $15,000 of a $20,000 goal.
Rivero and Macias both graduated from Braddock Senior High School in 2009.
They joined Fernandez Saturday night sometime after 10:30 p.m., when the Marlins' game against the Atlanta Braves concluded.
"I wish I could have just told him so stay home, don't go out, just stay home with us," Rivero's sister, Nicole, told 7 News Miami.
GALLERY: Jose Fernandez, 1992-2016