Miami tugboat captain charged in deadly sailboat crash in Biscayne Bay changes plea to guilty
A Miami tugboat captain charged in a collision in Biscayne Bay in July 2025 that killed three girls near Miami Beach changed his plea in court on Tuesday.
Yusiel Lopez Insua, 47, had pleaded not guilty to a charge of seaman's manslaughter, but his attorney told CBS News Miami months ago that the plan has been to take responsibility and spare the families from having to go through a trial.
Prosecutors said Insua had been operating a tugboat pushing a debris-filled barge when it struck a sailboat in Biscayne Bay in July 2025.
The sailboat was carrying five children and a camp counselor when it was struck, killing three of them.
The victims were identified as 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 13-year-old Erin Ko Han and 10-year-old Arielle "Ari" Buchman. Federal prosecutors said that Insua didn't see their stalled sailboat because he had obstructed visibility and didn't have a lookout.
"The client is deeply saddened by the tragic boating accident that cost the lives of three small children," Attorney Walter A. Reynoso said when he spoke with CBS News Miami in April. "He sends his sincere condolences to the families and their loved ones. We intend to accept responsibility for his conduct."
Insua and his wife broke down in tears when he changed his plea to guilty in court on Tuesday. After the hearing, Reynoso said his client feels awful about what happened and that their thoughts were focused on the families of the three girls who were killed.
"My client accepted responsibility before Judge Bececera for his criminal negligence in the tragic boat accident," Reynoso said.
Insua pleaded guilty to seaman's manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. However, his defence team and the U.S. government, along with the approval from the families of the victims, reached a deal.
They recommend he should serve one year in prison and six months of supervised release.
"My client is deeply remorseful for his conduct," Reynoso said. "He feels awful. He feels awful about the unimaginable pain and loss suffered by the three families who lost three very young daughters."
The plea deal is just a recommendation for the judge, who has the ultimate power in sentencing him.
Families said they didn't want to appear in court on Tuesday, but some of them will show up for sentencing.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 13, 2026.
What happened in the deadly Biscayne Bay crash in 2025?
The collision happened around 11:15 a.m. on Monday, July 28, 2025, between Hibiscus Island and Monument Island.
According to a Department of Justice press release, the tugboat's forward view was blocked by a deckhouse and crane, and no one aboard was assigned to watch for hazards, a basic maritime safety requirement.
At the same time, a children's sailing camp was underway nearby when a sailboat carrying one counselor and five children lost wind and stalled directly in the path of the approaching tug and barge and was struck.
Yankelevich, Han and Buchman died.
The counselor and two children survived after being dragged under the barge, but the three children were trapped in the wreckage and drowned.