TMZ: Cops Want To Talk To Bar Staff In Jose Fernandez Death Investigation
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Investigators trying to piece together the crash that killed Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez want to talk to the people who reportedly saw him in his final hours.
According to TMZ, the popular Miami bar where Fernandez spent his final hours is now a focal point in the investigation. Law enforcement sources told the site they have contacted American Social Bar and Kitchen in order to interview the employees who were working the night of the crash.
Related: Fans Overcome With Emotion Over Jose Fernandez's Death
Authorities also want to check out the surveillance video to see if Fernandez and the two other men killed in the crash were drinking.
On Monday, the restaurant released a statement on the matter saying, "Jose Fernandez was a guest at American Social. We would like to extend our sincerest condolences, thoughts, and prayers to the families and friends who share in the loss of the three victims involved in this tragic boating accident and to the Miami Marlins organization."
A picture showed Fernandez outside the restaurant around 2:20 a.m. It might be the last picture taken of Fernandez.
Investigators do not believe alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash, but toxicology tests were performed as part of the autopsies, which are now complete. Results, however, have not been released.
The 24-year-old Marlins ace and two other men, Emilio Macias, 27, and Eddy Rivero, 25, crashed along a jetty near Government Cut and flipped the boat, a 32-foot SeaVee, named the Kaught Looking, which was owned by Fernandez.
A Coast Guard Cutter found the boat around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. Miami-Dade police divers found two bodies under the boat, submerged in water washing over the jetty. A third body was found on the ocean floor nearby by about 4:15 or 4:30 a.m., according to Fire Rescue Capt. Leonel Reyes.
By daylight, the devastating scene was surreal as the boat lay overturned and crumbled along the rocks.
It was a high-speed impact into the boulders, authorities said, that killed all three men, none of whom were wearing their life jackets.
Related: Marlins Honor Jose Fernandez Just The Way He Would've Wanted
As his family and fans mourn, investigators are trying to reconstruct the last hours before the fatal crash. Other than confirming Jose Fernandez was at American Social Bar and Grill on the Miami River, when and how he departed is still not known.
