Fernandez, friends warned about post-midnight boat ride

MIAMI — Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was a patron at American Social Bar & Kitchen, a Miami River bar and restaurant, the same night he and two friends were killed in a boat crash, a spokeswoman for the establishment, Dana Rhoden, confirmed in an email on Tuesday.

The bar in the city’s downtown section allows boats to dock alongside the river. A friend of one of the victims said he warned him against the post-midnight trip, and Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna said he and at least two teammates turned down invitations to go and tried to discourage Fernandez from going out.

Fernandez, 24, died when the boat he owned slammed into a rock jetty early Sunday. Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25, also died.

A friend of Rivero’s, Will Bernal, said they texted each other before the trio pushed off. Bernal posted the texts on social media.

“Yo please be careful bro,” Bernal texted at 12:07 a.m. “I will bro,” Rivero said. “Try to keep him close to shore if you go out,” Bernal wrote back.

“Trust me,” Rivero wrote, “it’s not my time yet.”

Ozuna said all of the players knew Fernandez planned to go out on the boat that night.

“He heard everybody say, ‘No, go back to your house and take it easy,’ ” Ozuna said. “Then you wake up and see the news.”

A public viewing will be held Wednesday at a Miami church, preceded by a funeral procession scheduled to start at 2:16 p.m. outside the Marlins’ downtown ballpark. Fernandez wore No. 16.

A private funeral will be held Thursday for the Fernandez family and Marlins players and personnel.