Eric Rodriguez: Boater arrested 2 months after Biscayne Bay channel marker crash that killed a passenger

MIAMI DADE, FLORIDA: Florida boater Eric Rodriguez has been arrested for manslaughter and other charges for causing the death of a passenger named Justin Sosa in September 2023.

He had been drunk and speeding recklessly when he crashed into a channel marker in Biscayne Bay, killing the passenger.

How did the boat crash happen which killed Justin Sosa?

Eric Rodriguez, 24, of Miramar, was charged with boating under the influence/manslaughter and vessel homicide/operating in a reckless manner on Wednesday, March 6, according to Miami-Dade jail records, NBC6 reported. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said Rodriguez was “recklessly operating” his 26-foot Sea Hunt boat on the night of September 23, 2023.

According to the report, as the boat was passing the 79th Street Causeway, one of the passengers, Justin Sosa, moved from the back of the boat to the starboard (right side of it.)

Rodriguez then hit a red channel marker #20 and Sosa was thrown overboard and died from blunt force injuries from the channel marker.

Rescue divers found Sosa’s body a few hours later in the morning at the bottom of the bay near Channel Marker.

The FWC arrest report said Rodriguez was “traveling at a high rate of speed, in the dark, while it was raining” and failed to maintain his boat in the channel or identify the marker ahead of him.

GPS data showed he was going about 46 mph in an area where the speed limit was 30 mph, the report said.

Eric Rodriguez was unstoppable and stopped only when he was alerted by other people 

Rodriguez only stopped the boat after other passengers realized Sosa had been thrown out and alerted him, the report said.

They searched for Sosa while calling 911 and waiting for marine patrol officers to arrive. Sosa’s body was found a few hours later at the bottom of the bay near the marker, the report said.

Investigators who interviewed Rodriguez said he smelled of alcohol and found multiple empty containers in the boat, the report cited by the outlet said.

Other passengers said Rodriguez had been drinking vodka at the Miami Marine Stadium at Virginia Key before the crash.

The blood sample taken some six hours after the crash indicated Rodriguez had a blood alcohol level of .079, just below the legal limit of .08, according to the publication. 

Eric Rodriguez was operating the vessel with 'willful and wanton disregard' 

Rodriguez appeared in bond court on Thursday, March 7, where his attorney said he had surrendered to the FWC on Wednesday, March 6, to face the charges.

There the judge set his bond at $55,000 and was told not to consume alcohol during the pendency of the case. 

According to the report, the driver’s visibility would have been impaired by the “lights on shore” considering the direction of the vessel.

It said he could not have seen the “objects in the water” well because he was moving too fast in the dark.

The report suggested, "The defendant was operating his vessel that night with a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of his passengers and for others in the water, and while he was impaired by alcohol."