“I lost my best friend,” said a friend of Davide Veglia

Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have released photos of the boat that they say was involved in a hit-and-run in Biscayne Bay near Miami Beach on March 25, 2026 that left Davide Veglia and his 14-year-old son severely injured.

Boat involved in the hit-and-run on Wednesday, March 25; Davide Veglia.Credit : Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Davide Veglia/Instagram

 

A CEO is dead, and his 14-year-old son is injured after their dinghy was hit by another vessel in South Florida that fled the scene.

On Wednesday, March 25, around 8:11 p.m., first responders were dispatched to Biscayne Bay to a small vessel that had been involved in a hit-and-run, NBC affiliate WTVJ, WPLG and CBS affiliate WFOR reported.

The father and son were aboard a seven-foot dinghy in the Meloy Channel near Indian Creek and Biscayne Pointe when they were hit by another boat and ejected into the water. The two victims were recovered by rescue teams and transported to a nearby hospital.

Davide Veglia, the 55-year-old founder of ABTS Convention Services, died of his injuries, according to the reports. As of Thursday, March 26, his 14-year-old son remained at the hospital with a broken arm, WTVJ reported.

That evening, two teenagers were landscaping nearby and heard the crash. They called 911 after hearing the child scream for help, according to the outlet.

” ‘Help, help, help!’ He said it like three times and the third time it just went silent,” Samuel Londoño told WTVJ. “And right after that, it just went silent. We couldn’t hear anything else and that right after a boat came super fast.”

The other vessel that left the scene was described by officials as a dark blue boat with black bottom paint. The vessel is about 20 to 30 feet long, with potentially four outboard motors, according to the reports. It was last seen on Wednesday evening, between 7:45 and 8:15 p.m., heading north from the Meloy Channel in the bay.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Following the fatal crash, Veglia is being remembered by loved ones.

“I can’t stand God took this man, too young,” Joao Moraes told WTVJ of the death of his friend,  “I lost my best friend.”

Anyone with information about the crash or video footage is urged to call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.