Man pulled from water after 2 boats collide near Star Island. Man later dies, report says
A hit-and-run boat crash Tuesday night that happened between Star Island and Flagler Monument Island in Miami Beach killed one person and left another injured, according to police.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified the man who died as Diego Alejandro Becerra, 28, from Key Biscayne. He was ejected from a 32-foot center console boat on which he was a passenger.
A fire-rescue crew pulled him from the water and took him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died later from his injuries, according to the FWC report.
The operator of the center console, 26-year-old Francisco Urteaga, of Miami Beach, was not injured in the collision, the report states.
The crash, which is under investigation by FWC, happened about 8:45 p.m., police say.
The boat that collided with Urteaga’s vessel was a 23-foot cabin cruiser, driven by Brian Hodges, 32, of Miami, according to the agency’s report. One of his five passengers, Tesia Vanessa Valderia, 26, from North Miami, was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was treated for minor injuries, Fish and Wildlife investigators say.
FWC spokesman Officer Ronald Washington said Hodges left the scene after the crash. His boat was “located nearby” that night. Hodges has not been arrested and no charges have been filed yet, Washington said.
It’s not clear where Hodges’ boat was found.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 11:04 PM with the headline "Man pulled from water after 2 boats collide near Star Island. Man later dies, report says."
