MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — A Miami tugboat captain has been charged with seaman’s manslaughter in a Biscayne Bay collision that killed three children attending a sailing camp, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors said Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, was piloting a tugboat pushing a barge loaded with construction debris across the bay on July 28, 2025, when the barge struck a small sailboat carrying one counselor and five children.
Court records state the tugboat’s forward view was obstructed by a deckhouse and crane, and that no one aboard was assigned as a lookout.
At the same time, the children’s sailing camp was operating nearby. The sailboat lost wind and stalled in the tugboat’s path. Because of the obstructed visibility and lack of a lookout, Insua did not see the sailboat before the collision, according to authorities.
A forensic review of Insua’s cellphone showed internet activity during the tugboat’s transit, including at or near the time of the crash, according to the news release.
The counselor and two children managed to escape after being dragged under the barge. Three other children became trapped in the wreckage and drowned, the DOJ stated.
A Miami tugboat captain, Yusiel Lopez Insua, was charged with seaman’s manslaughter after federal authorities say he collided with a stalled children’s sailing camp boat in Biscayne Bay on July 28, 2025, killing three children when the barge he was pushing struck the sailboat because his vessel had obstructed visibility, no assigned lookout, and he was allegedly using his cellphone during transit, preventing him from seeing the disabled boat in time to avoid the crash. (US DOJ)
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“Our hearts are with the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This information alleges a preventable loss of life on our waterways, including the failure to follow basic maritime safety rules and cellphone use during transit at or near the time of the collision. We will present the evidence in court with care and professionalism. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Insua is charged with seaman’s manslaughter and faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted, according to the DOJ.