A 51-year-old man faces second-degree attempted murder charges after allegedly turning off the air supply of a teenager who was scuba diving for lobsters in Miami waters, an act that, according to authorities, put the minor's life in serious danger.
The accused has been identified as Michael Joseph Simpson Jr., a resident of Miami Beach, who was arrested for the incident that occurred on July 29 in front of Fisher Island, during the spiny lobster mini-season in Florida, one of the recreational days with the highest influx of boats in the state, reported .
According to the sworn arrest statement from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, Captain Steven Del Sol had his vessel anchored in the area when Simpson's boat approached at high speed and began to circle around it.
At that moment, a teenager from Del Sol's group was already underwater using an air supply system known as “third lung” or Brownie's Third Lung, a compressor that floats on the surface and delivers air to the diver through a hose.
According to the investigation, Simpson anchored his boat just a few meters away from the other vessel and, along with his companions, claimed that diving spot belonged to them, which led to a dispute between the two crews.
The situation escalated further when a second boat associated with Simpson arrived, a 12-meter-long vessel, whose divers also began to dive in the same area.
Del Sol stated that he even had to warn one of the minors from that second group to stay away from the air system because it was being used by another diver who was still underwater.
It was then that, according to the court records, Simpson lost control.
"I'll turn off the Brownie if I want to!" he would have shouted, according to the testimony collected by the investigators.
Several witnesses, including the parents of the teenager who was diving, reported seeing Simpson swim to the device and deliberately turn off the compressor that was supplying air to the young man.
Upon realizing what had happened, the occupants of the vessel began to shout desperately, "We have a diver down there!"
Del Sol immediately jumped into the water to help the teenager.
When he managed to bring him to the surface, the child was tangled between the air supply hose and the anchor line.
According to the captain, the young man "was gasping, disoriented, and did not understand what had happened."
A video recorded with a cell phone and shared by the WSVN network, an affiliate of ABC News, shows Simpson swimming away from the device before returning to his boat, while several people shouted at him from the other boat.
Authorities indicated that Simpson left the scene before the agents arrived. He voluntarily surrendered on August 4, six days after the incident.
He was initially charged with first-degree attempted murder, although during the bail hearing, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer reduced the charge to second-degree attempted murder.
"This is a very serious matter, for someone to attempt to turn off another person's air tank while they are swimming or diving," the magistrate stated while setting bail at $10,000, an amount that Simpson paid to regain his freedom while the legal proceedings continue.
The case has sparked even more controversy after Miami-Dade County confirmed that Simpson voluntarily joined the Bay Nautical Safety and Education Working Group, an organization created specifically to promote safety in the waterways.
In a statement, the county mayor's office stated that the conduct attributed to the accused "is contrary to that mission."
For his part, defense attorney Howard Srebnick rejected the accusations and asserted that his client will plead not guilty.
"He never touched the tank, and the claim that he had anything to do with it shutting down is simply false," asserted the lawyer.
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