A helicopter accident in Kenya on Wednesday that left seven dead hit close to home in Miami. Two successful local professionals — a television executive and a food entrepreneur — are among the dead.

José Alberto Suárez, an executive at Telemundo/NBC, and Roger Duarte, who owned George Stone Crabs, died during a helicopter tour of Mt. Ololokwe in Samburu County in northeastern Kenya.

Also killed in the crash were four other passengers — Adam Hlavaty, Henry Parra, Michele Sensi-Contugi, Stephany Hollihan — and the pilot, Josh Outran, according to a Kenyan publication.

A long career in journalism

Suárez, 55, born in Florida, was president and general manager of Telemundo 31 in Orlando, Telemundo 49 in Tampa, and Telemundo Ft. Myers-Naples.

With more than 25 years in the industry, Suárez had previously held leadership roles at Telemundo 51 in Miami.

“It is with profound sorrow that we share the tragic news that José Suárez, president and general manager of the Telemundo-owned stations in Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers, lost his life in a helicopter accident in Kenya,” said César Conde, chairman of NBCU News Group; Valari Staab, president of NBCU Local; and José Cancela, president of Telemundo Station Group, in a statement.

The statement described Suárez as “an exceptional colleague and a mentor to many,” and said his death has left multiple NBC Telemundo stations in mourning.

Telemundo’s statement expressed regret at the sudden loss and said it will later have information about how the network plans to honor Suárez’s life and legacy.

Miami food royalty

Duarte, 39, a Miami food industry entrepreneur, founded the seafood company George Stone Crab and the restaurant chain My Ceviche.

Duarte was married to Nicole Valls, whose family owns Versailles and La Carreta restaurants. Nicole Valls is the vice president of operations of Valls Group and one of company founder Felipe Valls’ granddaughters.

“You are my soulmate, my partner and my most trusted friend. I love you,” Duarte wrote in a birthday message to his wife days before their wedding, in a 2021 Instagram post.

After a previous career as an investment banker, Duarte launched his successful George Stone Crab in 2008, earning the nickname “Stone Crab King” of Miami in a Bloomberg profile. He was also featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016.

“The Duarte and Valls families are devastated and heartbroken by the tragic helicopter accident in Kenya that claimed the lives of our beloved Roger Edward Duarte, our dear friends Jose Suarez, Adam Hlavaty, Henry Parra, Michele Sensi-Contugi, and Stephany Hollihan Yeaza, as well as Josh Outram, the helicopter’s pilot”, the family said in a statement. “The magnitude of this tragedy is impossible to comprehend, and there are no words to express the depth of our pain. We ask that you keep them all and everyone who loved them in your prayers. We respectfully request privacy as our families grieve this unimaginable loss.”

Duarte had two sons, Roger Felipe and George.

Husband and wife die together

Also among the dead in the accident was Michele Sensi-Contugi, an Italo-Ecuadorian entrepreneur and official who served as a government minister in Ecuador from April to August 2024 during Daniel Noboa’s administration.

His wife, the designer and entrepreneur Stephany Hollihan, founder of the fashion and accessories brand Sensi Studio, also died.

“Stephany was a true visionary and an extraordinary force in Latin American fashion,” Latin American Fashion Summit said on its Instagram profile.

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