Federal prosecutors charged 46-year-old Yusiel Lopez Insua with seaman’s manslaughter after a barge he was operating struck a stalled sailboat in Biscayne Bay on July 28, 2025, killing three girls from a children’s sailing camp. Investigators say a deckhouse and crane blocked the barge operator’s forward view, no designated lookout was assigned, and cellphone activity on Insua’s phone occurred immediately before and during the impact. Two other children and an adult counselor survived; authorities continue to investigate and Insua faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Captain's Phone Activity Linked to Deadly Barge Collision That Killed Three Girls in Biscayne Bay
Arielle Buchman (left); and Mila Yankelevich.Credit: Levitt Funerals; Cris Morena/Facebook
Federal prosecutors have charged 46-year-old Yusiel Lopez Insua with seaman’s manslaughter after a barge he was operating struck and pinned a small sailboat, killing three girls from a children’s sailing camp in Biscayne Bay on July 28, 2025.
According to a criminal complaint and a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Insua was operating a tugboat pushing a barge loaded with construction debris when the collision occurred. The barge’s deckhouse and an onboard crane obstructed the vessel’s forward view, investigators say, and there was no designated lookout on board to mitigate the blind spots.
Investigators allege the sailboat had stalled after losing wind and drifted into the barge’s path. Reviewing cellphone records and activity, authorities say Insua was using an online marketplace immediately before and during the impact. The complaint quotes that Insua "ran over, capsized, and crushed" the children's boat, "submerging it and pinning it under the barge’s hull."
Miami boating collision in July 2025.Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Southeast/Facebook
Victims and survivors: Three girls on the sailboat—7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 10-year-old Arielle Buchman and 13-year-old Erin Victoria Ko—drowned after being trapped when the sailboat was struck and pinned beneath the barge. Two other children and an adult counselor on the sailboat survived; some survivors were reported to have been trapped in a portion of the vessel beneath the barge and later freed.
“Our hearts are with the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in announcing the charges. He added the allegations point to "a preventable loss of life on our waterways," citing failures to follow maritime safety rules and cellphone use while underway.
The victims have been identified in public reports: Mila was described as the granddaughter of noted Argentinian producers Gustavo Yankelevich and Cris Morena, and Arielle as the cousin of former Bal Harbour mayor Gabriel Groisman. Erin’s teacher told reporters that Erin "left a mark that's indelible" at her school.
Insua faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Online court records do not yet show whether he has been arraigned. Authorities continue to investigate the vessel conditions, crew practices and the timeline of events; PEOPLE and other outlets obtained the complaint that forms the basis of the federal charge. People familiar with the case say investigators reviewed cellphone data to support their findings. Insua’s attorney has been contacted for comment, according to published reports.
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