Man shares final moments with victims before fatal boat crash involving Fisher Island Ferry

MIAMI – A man shared the final moments he had with victims before they were involved in a deadly boat and car ferry collision near Port Miami early Sunday morning.

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, released the names Monday of the two men who were on a 32-foot boat that collided with the Fisher Island Ferry just before 4 a.m.

FWC officials said workers on the ferry were able to pull out Angel Dominguez, 29, of Hialeah, from the water. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with serious injuries.

The crash killed Cristian Gaston Fernandez, 27, of Cutler Bay, who was recovered by Miami Fire Rescue divers and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

Russell Ramirez told Local 10 News in a phone call he was partying with the two men just hours before the crash.

“We were just partying on the boat. Chris and Angel were the people in the accident. They have their own boat, which was Angel’s boat, so they met up with us,” he said.

“From what I could tell they were sober and they were stand-up guys,” he added. “They were good guys. We were having a good time (and) we were just partying.

The FWC incident form says it is unknown if anyone was drinking at the time of the crash and that charges are pending.

Sky 10 flew over the 32-foot boat Monday after it was recovered. It is now sitting at an FWC facility for inspection.

Authorities said no one on the ferry was hurt and investigators did not say who was driving the boat at the time of the crash.

Local 10 News Digital Journalist Chris Gothner contributed to this story.


About the Authors
Bridgette Matter headshot

Bridgette Matter joined the Local 10 News team as a reporter in July 2021. Before moving to South Florida, she began her career in South Bend, Indiana and spent six years in Jacksonville as a reporter and weekend anchor.

Ryan Mackey headshot

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

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