Davide Veglia, founder of ABTS Convention Services, died after a larger vessel struck the dinghy he shared with his 14-year-old son in Biscayne Bay.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A nighttime boat crash in Biscayne Bay killed South Florida business founder Davide Veglia and injured his 14-year-old son after a larger vessel slammed into their small dinghy and sped away, setting off a widening search for the operator.
The crash has become a high-profile hit-and-run investigation because of who was killed, the age of the surviving victim and the public appeal now underway to identify the fleeing boat. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said Veglia, 55, of North Miami, and his son were thrown into the water Wednesday night in the Meloy Channel near Indian Creek and Biscayne Pointe. By Thursday, investigators had released photos and a description of the boat they believe struck them, but no arrest had been announced.
Authorities said the father and son were aboard a seven-foot dinghy on the night of March 25 when another vessel hit them in the channel off Miami Beach. Miami Beach Fire Department crews responded to a water rescue call at about 8:11 p.m. near Biscayne Point Circle, and first responders later brought both victims ashore at a nearby home before taking them to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. Veglia died from his injuries. His son survived with a broken arm and remained hospitalized in the immediate aftermath of the crash. Investigators said the other boat did not stop to help. Instead, officers said, it kept moving north, turning what might already have been a deadly boating collision into a criminal search that now stretches across the waters and waterfront neighborhoods north of the crash site.
Witnesses described a scene that was both sudden and chaotic. Two teenagers who were working nearby told local television stations they heard screaming from the water and realized someone was in trouble. Samuel Londoño said the cries were loud and urgent. “Help, help, help,” he told NBC 6 the boy yelled before the area suddenly went quiet. Another teen, Enzo Avelino, said first responders arrived quickly after the 911 call. He told CBS Miami that when rescuers brought the victims in, the younger boy appeared to be clutching his injured wrist while his father was strapped to a stretcher and in critical condition. Local residents who live along the bay also said the case shook them because it happened during what should have been an ordinary father-son outing. One neighbor told Local 10 the most disturbing part was not only the crash itself, but that whoever was operating the larger vessel kept going.
Investigators have publicly described the boat they are seeking, but some details remain broad. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the vessel of interest is dark blue with black bottom paint, about 20 to 30 feet long, and may have multiple outboard motors. In different local reports, authorities described it as having two motors or possibly four, suggesting that the image evidence was still being reviewed and refined as the search continued. Officers said the boat was last seen heading north from the Meloy Channel between roughly 7:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday. By Thursday, state wildlife officers had released photos of the vessel and renewed their request for surveillance video, witness statements and any other information that could identify the operator. Publicly available reports do not yet explain whether the suspect boat has been located, whether forensic evidence was recovered from the scene, or whether investigators have identified a registered owner.
Veglia’s death also drew attention because of his place in South Florida business circles. He founded ABTS Convention Services in 1995, building the company around helping international physicians attend medical meetings in the United States. On its memorial page, the company said Veglia started the business as a 25-year-old travel and tourism student in South Florida after seeing a gap in how international medical travelers were served. Over more than three decades, ABTS said, the company expanded from one service into five divisions with offices in Miami and Belgrade and supported hundreds of thousands of attendees. The company’s public statement did not dwell on the circumstances of the crash, but it described Veglia as personally involved in client relationships and committed to the role international attendance played in medical education. In the days after the collision, that business biography became part of the public story, turning the case from a local marine fatality into a broader community loss felt in both business and family circles.
Friends and neighbors added another layer to that picture as they tried to make sense of the death. Joao Moraes, a friend interviewed by NBC 6, said he had spoken with Veglia earlier Wednesday and expected to meet him for lunch two days later. Moraes said the loss left him stunned. “I lost my best friend,” he said. His comments echoed the tone of the memorial statement from ABTS, which said Veglia built the company around personal trust, loyalty and direct care for clients. The public record so far offers only a partial portrait of the father and son’s outing before the crash. Reports do not say where they launched, how long they had been on the water or what route they intended to take before the collision. Another open question is whether visibility, lighting or speed will become central parts of the investigation. One resident told Local 10 he had noticed the dinghy and believed it did not have lights on, but investigators have not publicly said whether that observation has been confirmed or whether it played any role in the crash.
The legal and procedural next steps are now squarely in the hands of marine investigators. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading the inquiry, with local authorities also asking the public for help. In hit-and-run boating cases, investigators typically work to identify the vessel, determine who was operating it, inspect any physical damage and compare that evidence with the victim boat and witness accounts. What remains unknown is how quickly this case will move. No arrest had been announced by Saturday, March 28, and no suspect had been publicly named. Officers have not said whether the boat whose photos were released has been seized, whether they are seeking search warrants, or whether criminal charges could include leaving the scene, vessel homicide or other offenses under Florida law. For now, the most visible public step is the continuing appeal for tips, video and waterfront surveillance that might place the fleeing boat in the channel before or after the collision.
As of March 28, the crash remained an open hit-and-run investigation, Veglia had been publicly identified as the man who died, and his teenage son was reported injured but alive. The next milestone is the identification of the boat’s operator or any formal charge announcement by investigators.
Author note: Last updated March 28, 2026.