- Roger Duarte, Miami seafood entrepreneur, died in a helicopter crash in Kenya with six others
- The Eurocopter EC130 B4 crashed near Mount Ololokwe, killing all on board including the Kenyan pilot
- Victims included Telemundo exec José Alberto Suárez and Ecuador's intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi
Miami entrepreneur and seafood businessman Roger Duarte, who built a successful career after walking away from investment banking, was killed in a helicopter crash in northern Kenya on Wednesday. According to New York Post, Duarte, 42, was travelling with six other people when the Eurocopter EC130 B4 crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County at around 9:13 am. local time. All seven people on board, including the Kenyan pilot, died. The aircraft was operating a charter flight from the Loisaba Conservancy toward the Ewaso Nyiro area. Kenyan aviation authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
The other American victims included Telemundo executive José Alberto Suárez, as well as Henry Parra and Adam Hlavaty. Ecuador's intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife, Stephany Hollihan Vásconez, were also killed in the crash. Vásconez was a dual US-Ecuadorian citizen.
"Our deepest sympathies are with the guests, crew, their families and loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic accident," Lady Lori Helicopters, which operated the flight, said in a statement.
Duarte's death marks a significant loss to Miami's food and hospitality industry.
He began selling South American cigars to his dad's friends as a schoolboy. In 2008, at 24, he left investment banking to launch his first business, George Stone Crab. He started by selling crab claws to neighbors in Key Biscayne, Fla., before partnering with a major wholesaler. In 2012, he co-founded the seafood restaurant My Ceviche with chef Sam Gorenstein. The test store generated $1 million in sales in its first year, and the brand became well known across South Florida.
Bloomberg later called him the "Stone Crab King." In 2016, Forbes named him to its 30 Under 30 Food list, highlighting his early jump from finance to entrepreneurship. He later served as CEO of Hospitality Capital Partners, continuing his work in Miami's hospitality and investment sectors.
Duarte's family said in a statement they were "devastated and heartbroken" by his death. "The magnitude of this tragedy is impossible to comprehend, and there are no words to express the depth of our pain," they said.
Duarte lived in a $2.8 million mansion with his wife, Nicole Valls Duarte, and their two children.
