Left to right: Mila Yankelevich, Erin Victoria Ko, Ari Buchman (Family photos/WPLG).
A 46-year-old tugboat captain in Florida is accused of killing three children after he allegedly crashed into and crushed their sailboat while piloting a construction barge because he was on his cellphone browsing online marketplaces.
Yusiel Lopez Insua is charged with one count of seaman”s manslaughter in connection with the July 28, 2025, collision that killed 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 13-year-old Erin Ko Han and 10-year-old Arielle Buchman.
Federal prosecutors say Insua was operating a 25-foot tugboat known as the Wood Chuck while pushing a 108-foot construction barge loaded with debris from a seawall demolition project when he struck a stalled sailboat carrying five children and a 19-year-old camp counselor near Hibiscus Island.
“Due to the obstructed visibility, and lack of a lookout, Insua did not see the stalled sailboat before the barge struck it,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a news release announcing the charge.
The children were attending a sailing camp run through the Miami Yacht Club. The counselor had been navigating the Hobie Getaway-style catamaran from the yacht club toward Flagler Monument Island when the boat lost wind and stalled directly in the path of the oncoming barge, according to the complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, the counselor stood up and tried to warn the approaching vessel, but Insua “did not change course or alter the Vessel’s speed” as the sailboat sat motionless in the water.
Prosecutors say the barge then “ran over, capsized, and crushed a stalled sailboat” with the victims aboard.
Three of those aboard — the counselor and two girls — managed to escape after being dragged beneath the vessel. The other three children became trapped in the wreckage as the barge continued moving over the capsized sailboat, pinning it underwater beneath the hull.
“Thereafter, Victims 4, 5, and 6 escaped being pulled under water as the barge continued to travel on top of the capsized sailboat, submerging it and pinning it under the barge’s hull,” the complaint states. “However, Victim 1, Victim 2, and Victim 3 were trapped in the wreckage of the sailing vessel underneath the barge.”
Buchman survived the initial collision and remained in critical condition for two days before she died on July 30, according to a report from Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ. The Miami-Dade medical examiner later ruled that all three girls died from accidental drowning.
The surviving children included a 7-year-old girl, who was reportedly hospitalized and later released, and a 12-year-old girl. The 19-year-old counselor also survived.
Investigators allege Insua had been operating the same tug-and-barge combination in Biscayne Bay for approximately 12 years and had previously experienced “near misses” with sailboats in the same area.
The complaint says Insua knew that the vessel’s forward view was obstructed by both a deckhouse welded to the barge and a construction crane positioned near the front of the deck. Concrete debris from the demolition project also covered the barge.
Although the tugboat’s pilothouse provided long-range visibility, prosecutors say Insua could not see directly in front of the barge.
“Insua knew, or should have known, that the position of the deckhouse and the crane on the barge portion of the Vessel obstructed the waterline view of a pilot operating the Vessel from the tugboat’s pilothouse,” the complaint states.
Despite those limitations, prosecutors say, no one aboard was assigned to act as a lookout.
“When there is no direct line of sight immediately in front of a vessel, and when a vessel is not otherwise equipped to increase visibility, a reasonably prudent vessel operator should assign personnel aboard to act as a lookout,” the document continues.
A construction worker was aboard the barge at the time, but authorities say he had not been instructed to watch for other boats.
The complaint further alleges that Insua’s cellphone was active during the trip across the bay.
“A forensic review of Insua’s cellphone revealed internet activity during transit, including at or near the time of the collision,” prosecutors said.
According to the complaint, Insua’s phone was unlocked and showed activity on “internet marketplaces” at the moment the sailboat was struck.
Federal authorities also allege the tugboat’s radio had been tuned to Channel 9 — typically used to communicate with bridge operators — instead of Channel 16, the emergency frequency used by boaters.
The vessel allegedly was not equipped with cameras, radar, or other equipment that could have helped compensate for the blocked view. Prosecutors further allege that the windows in the pilothouse were closed, making it more difficult for Insua to hear anyone outside trying to alert him.
“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 a statement. “This information alleges a preventable loss of life on our waterways, including the failure to follow basic maritime safety rules and cellphone use during transit at or near the time of the collision.”
Insua is currently scheduled to make his initial appearance in court on April 3.
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