Mariah Gonzalez was enjoying Father’s Day with her family Sunday night at South Lido Beach in Sarasota, Florida, but she kept an eye on the personal watercraft she described as driving “recklessly” around the beach area.

Multiple watercraft were “extremely close to boats and the children that were in the water,” Gonzalez said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Gonzalez, who was born and raised in Sarasota but now lives in Fort Myers, was with her brother, stepbrother, father and fiancé at the beach. She waded into the water at about 8 p.m. Sunday.

Moments later, the night changed. A crash of two personal watercraft resulted in the death of 19-year-old Orioles minor league prospect Luis Alexander Guevara Aponte of Venezuela and sent another man to the hospital with severe injuries.

In the buildup to the crash, Gonzalez had been watching. “I was worried about something happening,” Gonzalez said. She said one of the drivers was doing doughnuts before stalling. He stood up on the watercraft, trying to turn it on.

“He looked over and could see another Jet Ski coming almost full force and was going extremely fast,” Gonzalez said. “The guy that was on the Jet Ski, he was waving his arms, yelling stop in Spanish — ‘Para! Para! Para!’ — and just yelling and waving his arms so the other person coming his way would see him.”

The other watercraft, Gonzalez said, didn’t see the first person or couldn’t avoid a collision.

Gonzalez’s account differs from an incident report released by the Sarasota Police Department on Wednesday that describes an “unstable” scene filled with “frantic citizens.”

Most of the people in the crowd were Spanish speakers, according to the report, and the department had only one Spanish-speaking officer at the scene. Gonzalez, meanwhile, speaks fluent Spanish, she said.

The incident report indicates that the first watercraft — the one that stalled — was ridden by Guevara and Keiver Jose Guillen Reatiga, whose relationship to Guevara is unclear. The second was ridden by Miguel Rodríguez and Jesús Palacios, 19- and 20-year-old Orioles prospects from Venezuela.

Rodríguez and Palacios told police they were riding toward Guevara and Reatiga when their watercraft hit a wave and launched into the air. “Control of the jet ski was completely lost, and they bailed off the jet ski,” the report reads. “While the jet ski was in the air, it struck Reatiga and Aponte, causing them to fall off their jet ski and into the water.”

Gonzalez said, from her vantage point, it appeared that either Guevara or Reatiga was already in the water. The other was standing, waving and yelling at the approaching watercraft.

“He was screaming very loud, and he was standing up. I don’t understand how that was missed,” Gonzalez said. “That Jet Ski hit the guy in the head, almost directly hit the upper part of his body, and he went flying into the water.”

Recordings of 911 calls obtained by The Banner show a similarly chaotic scene.

“The guy was stopped, I don’t know why that other guy ran into him full throttle,” a caller who witnessed the crash from the beach said.

“He’s dying, he’s dying,” a second caller said. “They hit their head, they ran their heads over.”

Almost immediately, Gonzalez called 911 as people flooded the water to assist the victims of the crash. Another caller said that it appeared that someone was giving them CPR in the middle of the water before they were brought to shore.

Gonzalez said one had a light pulse and the second did not appear to have one (the police report indicates both had a pulse). Emergency services arrived within five minutes and administered CPR before transporting them to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

The incident report notes that Reatiga suffered “obvious severe trauma to his face,” although he was conscious and breathing. Reatiga suffered facial fractures and lung damage, according to supplemental information in the report; he has since been discharged from the hospital. A witness on the scene told 911 that his lip was hanging halfway off and that he was “kind of breathing, unconscious.”

Guevara suffered internal trauma and brain trauma, according to the report. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Orioles postponed Florida Complex League games Monday and Tuesday. Late Tuesday, the organization announced Guevara had died. Thursday’s game against the Braves has also been postponed, a team spokesperson said.

“Luis was a beloved member of our organization, and we are devastated following his tragic passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and teammates and we ask for their continued privacy during this difficult time,” Mike Elias, the Orioles’ general manager, said in a statement.

Guevara signed as an international free agent in 2023, and he began his professional career by playing in the Dominican Summer League in 2023 and 2024. This was his first season in the United States.

Primarily a shortstop, Guevara reached Double-A Chesapeake for two games this season. He also played 24 games at Low-A Delmarva and four with the Florida Complex League Orioles. During that time, he made appearances at second base, third base and left field as well.

The Florida Complex League is the lowest level of the minor league ranks. The complex leagues, located in Florida and Arizona, are often where first-time professionals debut.

When he was signed, Guevara was considered a future leadoff hitter. “One of the better Venezuelan hitters in the 2022-23 class, he has outstanding bat-to-ball skills and a nice, easy swing through the zone from both sides of the plate. He showcases advanced hitting ability and power potential to the gaps,” the press release for Guevara said.

Palacios and Rodríguez were signed as international free agents in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Palacios, a pitcher, appeared on the 2023 Dominican Summer League All-Star team. Rodríguez, a catcher and first baseman, was transferred to the 60-day injured list with an undisclosed injury April 30. He had reached Low-A Delmarva this season.

Banner reporter Danielle Allentuck contributed reporting to this article.