Millionaire food entrepreneur once on Forbes 30 under 30 list was among 5 Americans killed in Kenyan helicopter crash

A tragic helicopter crash in Kenya on Wednesday claimed the lives of five Americans, including millionaire seafood entrepreneur Roger Duarte, who was once featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

The 42-year-old Duarte, a married father of two, perished along with five other passengers and the pilot when the helicopter went down near the base of a mountain in northern Kenya. 

Among the Americans on board were Telemundo executive José Suárez and the married couple, Henry Parra and Adam Hlavaty.

Also deceased are Michele Sensi-Contugi, director general of Ecuador’s intelligence agency, his wife Stephany Maria Hollihan Vasconez, who held dual US citizenship, and skilled pilot Josh Outram. 

Duarte’s family expressed their profound grief in a statement, describing themselves as “devastated and heartbroken” over his passing. 

“The magnitude of this tragedy is impossible to comprehend and there are no words to express the depth of our pain,” they stated.

Roger Duarte Sr., Duarte’s 82-year-old father, shared his sorrow with the Daily Mail, saying, “I’m very devastated right now.”

He added, “I don’t have the words to express my feelings. We don’t know much about what happened. They are investigating the crash.”

Starting his entrepreneurial journey early, Duarte sold South American cigars to his father’s friends as a schoolboy. At 24, he left investment banking to start George Stone Crab in 2008.

Initially, he sold crab claws to neighbors in Key Biscayne, Florida, before partnering with a major wholesaler.

“I didn’t feel I was going to grow at an investment bank, and I wasn’t interested in getting an MBA. It was my turn to start my own business,” he told Bloomberg in March 2013.

In 2012, he launched the restaurant My Cerviche with chef Sam Gorenstein, achieving $1 million in sales in just one year from a test store.

Dubbed the “Stone Crab King” by Bloomberg, he was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016.

“He had such an incredible work ethic,” said businessman friend Lee Schrager in a tribute to WPLG.

Duarte resided in a $2.8 million mansion with his wife, Nicole Valls Duarte, and their two children. Nicole is the daughter of Felipe Valls Jr., creator of Miami’s iconic Versailles restaurant in Little Havana.

The couple welcomed their second child in November 2024.

The Eurocopter Ec130 B4 helicopter crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County on Wednesday morning. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Lady Lori Helicopters, the company operating the flight, expressed condolences in a statement: “Our deepest sympathies are with the guests, crew, their families and loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic accident.”  

The flight was chartered from the Suyian Conservancy to Mount Ololokwe when the accident occurred. 

Luxury tour agency &Beyond confirmed that the helicopter was carrying its guests.

With Post wires.