Two women are found dead after their Mercedes fell off the front of ferry transporting residents to Florida’s exclusive Fisher Island community
- Two women named as driver Emma Afra, 63, and passenger Viviane Brahms, 75
- They died after the blue 2019 Mercedes-Benz they were in sunk on Tuesday
- Locals say the boats are open at both the front and back, blocked only by a chain
- Footage showed an empty space and a broken barrier on the front of the ferry
- Fisher Island was named the wealthiest zip code in the United States in 2019
Two women have been found dead after their car fell off the front of the Fisher Island ferry, which takes residents to and from the exclusive Florida community.
Driver Emma Afra, 63, a resident of the island, and passenger Viviane Brahms, 75, of Harrison, New York, died after the blue 2019 Mercedes-Benz they were travelling in sunk on Tuesday afternoon.
It is not yet known exactly how the car fell into the water but one local told The Miami Herald the boats are open at both the front and back, blocked only by a chain.
Aerial footage from Local 10 shows an empty space and a broken barrier on the front of a ferry named Pelican.
Two women have been found dead after their car fell off the front of the Fisher Island ferry, which takes residents to and from the exclusive Florida community. Aerial footage from Local 10 shows an empty space and a broken barrier on the front of a ferry named Pelican
It is not yet known exactly how the car fell into the water but one local told The Miami Herald the boats are open at both the front and back, blocked only by a chain
Emergency crews recovered the blue 2019 Mercedes-Benz after it sank on Tuesday afternoon
Footage from the scene showed divers recovering their vehicle from the 50-foot deep channel late on Tuesday evening. The car was taken from the scene Wednesday morning.
Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said: ‘Divers located the vehicle, submerged in the area of Government Cut, near Fisher Island. The vehicle was recovered from the water, and investigators discovered two deceased females inside.’
Fisher Island was named the wealthiest zip code in the United States in 2019.
It is a 216-acre island that was once home to celebrities like media mogul Oprah Winfrey, actor Mel Brooks, retired tennis star Boris Becker, and Czech supermodel Karolina Kurkova.
It has approximately 700 families who own either a home or an apartment, but only a small fraction of them are actually there at a given time, according to Forbes.
That’s because Fisher Island is primarily a vacation haunt for the superrich, who only spend a few weeks or months at a time.
Its ferry service takes people from the MacArthur Causeway over Government Cut to the million dollar homes off Biscayne Bay.
Footage from the scene showed divers recovering their vehicle from the 50-foot deep channel late on Tuesday evening. The car was taken from the scene Wednesday morning
Aerial view of the exclusive Fisher Island residential compound, left, with a view of the southern tip of Miami Beach. It was named the wealthiest zip code in the United States in 2018
Roberto Sosa, president and CEO of the association, said: ‘Shortly before 5:00 p.m. today, a vehicle on the Fisher Island ferry ended up in the water for reasons still unknown at this point in time.
‘Fisher Island Community Association is actively assisting the various agencies involved in the ongoing recovery efforts. Our thoughts are with all those affected. We cannot confirm any additional details at this point in time.’
The Coast Guard confirmed it is investigating how the car fell into the water.