Report: Jose had booze on breath
JOSE Fernandez and two other men who died during a violent boat crash last month in Miami all smelled of alcohol when their bodies were recovered, and investigators found evidence the vessel’s driver had been reckless, the Miami Herald reported.
Neither the toxicology tests nor the autopsies have been released, but Wednesday’s update is according to a search warrant affidavit, which was released by the MiamiDade state attorney’s office and obtained by the newspaper.
The Marlins’ 24-yearold pitcher, who defected from Cuba at the age of 15, died Sept. 25 when the 32-foot boat named “Kaught Looking” crashed into a jetty at 3:15 a.m. near Miami Beach, the Coast Guard had said. The other two men on the boat — Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25 — also died.
The warrant states there was evidence that the vessel was traveling fast and with a “recklessness ... exacerbated by the consumption of alcohol,” the report said.
It’s not confirmed who was driving the boat.
Fernandez was at American Social Bar & Kitchen prior to the crash, and Fish and Wildlife investigators reportedly found a receipt that showed alcohol was purchased at the bar in the pocket of one of the three men.
Authorities had said there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs found at the crash site.
The righthander, who was drafted in the first round in 2011 and won Rookie of the Year in 2013, was one of baseball’s brightest young players. The Marlins canceled their game against the Braves the Sunday he died.
Fernandez went 38-17 in his four seasons with Miami.