MIAMI — A 46-year-old man who was the captain of the “Wood Chuck” tugboat pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal charge stemming from the Biscayne Bay crash that killed three girls in Miami.
Yusiel Lopez Insua, who changed his not guilty plea, will not be going to trial in the case of the deaths of 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 10-year-old Arielle Buchman, and 13-year-old Erin Ko Han.
“We are going to let the judicial process take its course, see what happens in October, and allow justice to play out,” Erin Ko Han’s uncle Alvin Wu said in a statement after the hearing.
Lopez Insua was awaiting sentencing on Oct. 13, and he could face up to 10 years in prison. Attorney Walter Reynoso, who represents him, said he was remorseful.
Lopez Insua had been charged with seaman’s manslaughter after the July 28, 2025, collision off Hibiscus Island, as the girls participated in a youth sailing camp.
“Our thoughts today remain with each of the families,” Reynoso said.
“My client will not put the families through a trial and expose them to relive this terrible tragedy,” Reynoso said.
Lopez Insua was using his cellphone around the time of the crash, and data “indicated activity on internet marketplaces, including at the time when the collision occurred,” according to the indictment.
Prosecutors also alleged the tugboat’s pilothouse view was obstructed by a deckhouse and crane on the barge, and that the vessel lacked adequate lookout systems such as cameras or radar.
Court filings reported Lopez Insua had prior “near-misses” in the same area. The crash is also the subject of at least one lawsuit in Miami-Dade County civil court.
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