The death of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez has rocked the world of Major League Baseball. The 24-year-old died in a boating accident off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, early Sunday.
Here are 5 things to know about the death of Jose Fernandez:
Speed may have been a factor in the accident
"It does appear that speed was involved due to the impact and the severity of it," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Lorenzo Veloz said in a press conference Sunday morning, The Palm Beach Post reported. The boat was travelling at a high rate of speed when it hit the jetty.
Veloz said the jetty was not visible.
The time the crash occurred is not clear
Officials said the boat, a 32-foot Sea Vee Center Console, was seen overturned on a rock jetty off the coast of Miami Beach. It was found by a Coast Guard crew.
Video surfaced Sunday on social media showing the aftermath of the fatal crash.
"At 3:40, 3:50, approximately, a.m. this morning, the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue fire boat received a call about a capsized vessel in the vicinity of government cut," said Capt. Leonel Reyes, of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Marine Services Bureau.
"The vessel has traveled several times in this area, so that person was obviously very aware of where they were," Veloz said, adding that there are no lights in the area.
"I have stopped that boat before for safety inspections with other Marlins players on board, so we know that this boat knows this area," Veloz said. "We just can't answer why this happened."
Related: Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez has died
Fernandez was not driving the boat
Fernandez was a passenger on the boat. He never drove it, Veloz said. The person who drove the boat was a friend of Fernandez, whom Veloz said is "very well connected with several Marlins players." Reyes said two bodies were found underneath the vessel and another was found in the water on the southside of the jettys.
Family members identified the two other people killed as Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Macias, WSVN reported. Macias' father works for the Miami-Dade Police Department, according to the news station. Both Rivero and Macias graduated in 2009 from G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School in Miami.
Fernandez was not wearing a life jacket
Veloz said none of the three men on the boat were wearing life jackets, including Fernandez, The Palm Beach Post reported. The other two men on the boat, whose ages ranged from 24 to 27, were "personal friends" of the pitcher.
Alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been involved
"Alcohol, as of right now, was not involved, or no other illicit drugs were found on the vessel," Veloz said. An autopsy will determine if any drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident.
