Marlins: Jose Fernandez Killed In Boat Crash Off Miami Beach
MIAMI (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Jose Fernandez escaped from Cuba by boat on his fourth try as a teenager, and when his mother fell into the Yucatan Channel during the journey, he jumped in and pulled her out.
Fernandez's heroic backstory made his death early Sunday that much more heart-wrenching. The charismatic Miami Marlins ace was killed in a boating accident at age 24.
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Fernandez and two other people died when their 32-foot vessel slammed into a jetty off Miami Beach, authorities said.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, law enforcement officials found a 33-foot center console boat overturned on a jetty off Miami Beach at around 3:30 a.m. Authorities did not immediately know the exact time of the crash.
An official from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told reporters that Fernandez was with two friends when the 32-foot SeaVee that they were traveling in hit rocks and capsized during a boating trip.
Lorenzo Veloz of the fish commission said the boat was found upside down. Two bodies were found under the vessel and one was found in the water by divers.
The overturned boat remained in the water for several hours, its engine partially submerged as its nose pointed skyward, as debris from the crash was scattered over some of the large jagged rocks.
Veloz described the condition of the boat as "horrible."
The boat was traveling full speed and was demolished. There was no evidence of alcohol or illegal substances being a factor in the crash.
"It does appear that speed was involved, due to the impact and the severity of it," Veloz said. "It does appear to be that they were coming at full speed when they encountered the jetty and the accident happened."
None of the men were wearing lifejackets, according to investigators, who added that Fernandez died from trauma rather than drowning.
City of Miami Fire-Rescue workers were seen carrying bodies, draped and on stretchers, at the Coast Guard station after sunrise. They were taken to the medical examiner's office.
The boat was owned by a friend of Fernandez.
"It does pertain to a friend of Jose who is very well connected with several Marlins players, and I have stopped that boat before for safety inspections with other Marlins players on board," Veloz said. "We know that this boat knows the area. We just can't answer why this happened."
A native of Santa Clara, Cuba, Fernandez was unsuccessful in his first three attempts to defect, and spent several months in prison. At 15, he and his mother finally made it to Mexico, and were reunited in Tampa, Florida, with his father, who had escaped from Cuba two years earlier.
The Marlins drafted him in 2011 and Fernandez was in the majors two years later at 20. He went 38-17 in his four seasons with Miami, winning the NL's Rookie of the Year award in 2013, and was twice an All-Star.
Last week Fernandez posted a photo of his girlfriend sporting a "baby bump" on his Instagram page, announcing that the couple was expecting its first child.
"I'm so glad you came into my life," Fernandez wrote in that post. "I'm ready for where this journey is gonna take us together."
Fernandez became a U.S. citizen last year and was enormously popular in Miami thanks to his success and exuberant flair. When he wasn't pitching, he would hang over the dugout railing as the team's lead cheerleader.
As CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported, the professional baseball world was shocked by Fernandez's untimely and tragic death.
"When I think about Josie, it's going to be thinking about a little kid," said Mattingly, pausing repeatedly to compose himself. "I see such a little boy in him ... the way he played. ... Kids play Little League, that's the joy Jose played with."
The names of the other two individuals were withheld pending notification of relatives, the Coast Guard said.
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