A Hialeah Gardens man riding on a jet ski died after a center console with two people on board collided with him near Key Largo on Jan. 2.
An accident report by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission states that the two-vessel crash occurred around 4:45 p.m. at Blackwater Sound, west of Moon Bay Condominium. The 25-foot Skeeter, with a Key Largo man and Pembroke Pines woman on board, was traveling south parallel to the eastern shoreline of Blackwater Sound as the Yamaha jet ski was traveling east to shore near Rowell’s Waterfront Park. The two vessels ended up colliding — the boat’s starboard bow impacting the jet ski’s bow and throwing all three individuals into the water.
The operator of the center console, later identified as Anthony Abate, 36, could be seen in a video taken by a bystander hopping onto a jet ski to chase down his unmanned, running boat in an attempt to prevent the boat from striking anyone in the water. He eventually gets onto his boat and picks up his female passenger, later identified as Marilynn Gonzalez, 28. Both were uninjured in the collision.
The man on the jet ski, Adolfo Rodriguez Aguilera, 39, was recovered by good Samaritans located nearby. He was transported to Mariners Hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries.
FWC was joined on scene by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Monroe County Fire Rescue. An investigation is ongoing, according to the FWC report.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the victim during this difficult time,” said Arielle Callender, FWC spokeswoman.
