Loved Ones Remember Jose Fernandez's New Close Friends Killed In Crash
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – While the sports world mourns the loss of a rising star, family and friends reflect on the lives of the two friends also killed in the accident.
"He was the motivation for everything," said Aileen Victoria, the sister of Eduardo Rivero.
Victoria is haunted by the boat crash in Government Cut that took the life of her 24-year-old brother, his close friend Emilio Macias and their new friend, Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez.
"They were gone too soon. They all had futures and were going to go somewhere – each one of them," Victoria said. "And now it's gone."
Rivero and Macias graduated from G. Holmes Braddock High School. Remembering them and Fernandez, some students wore Marlins jerseys.
"He was a good friend, an amazing friend. He was always there for some, with amazing support," Victoria said.
But she is troubled.
"I don't think it was the right time to be out on the ocean. I don't know what was going on through their heads to go to the middle of the ocean at that time," she said.
Rivero's friend, Will Bernal, also had a very uneasy feeling prior to the crash.
Bernal said Rivero asked him to go on the boat. He didn't and texted Rivero instead.
"I told him I didn't want him to go out on the boat and to be careful. I didn't have a good feeling. It's too dark at night," Bernal said.
Bernal was also worried that Fernandez was stressed out about something and urged Rivero to stay close to the shore.
Bernal texted, "I know. Try to keep Jose cool, tell him what I said."
"I basically told Eduardo that even though he was stressed out right now, he wouldn't even think about it next week. He's young and going out on the water is not going to solve your problems," he said.
Macias was the son of a Miami-Dade police detective. No one at his Hialeah home wanted to say anything.
Rivero's sister is trying to raise money to pay for funeral expenses.
"We just wanted to give him what he deserved. He always gave us everything. He deserves a good goodbye. He deserves to be put in rest," she said.
Rivero worked at Carnival Cruise Lines as a sales representative.
His sister said he was also attending graduate school with a major in psychology and minor in business.
Their families have started GoFundMe pages to pay for their funeral expenses.
Eduardo Rivero's GoFundMe page and Emilio Macias' GoFundMe page.
