The captain of the 29-meter charter yacht Miami Vice, one of whose passengers died after being hit by the propellers, was arrested at Fort Lauderdale airport while trying to board a plane to Panama.
Mauricio Alvarez, 49, is charged with negligence and improper performance of professional duties leading to the death.
During a charter cruise to Flagler Island, Alvarez steered the vessel with his son, Andrew Tarcisio, 22, who served as first mate.
After anchoring off the island for a while, Alvarez turned the engines on and began backing up without making sure no one was in the water behind. At that time, two guests were swimming in the back of the boat; one, 25-year-old Raul Menendez, was sucked under the propellers and died. His friend escaped with injuries.
Earlier, it was reported that people were caught under the propellers of the yacht while trying to get her off the shoal, on which she allegedly ran aground off the coast of Flagler Island. It was also reported that a 22-year-old young man was at the wheel at the time of the accident. According to Alvarez himself, in reality, his 22-year-old son Andrew Tarciso was standing nearby at the time, but not at the helm.
The 29-meter Miami Vice is a hybrid of a speedboat and a yacht. The vessel, built in 1998 at Intermarine Shipyard, is capable of speeds up to 55 knots.
