Jose Fernandez’s High School Jersey Stolen

TAMPA, FL — A candlelight vigil meant to honor the memory of former Alonso Raven turned Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez took a criminal turn Wednesday night. According to Hillsborough County Public Schools, someone swiped the jersey the now-deceased baseball great wore during his time at the Tampa high school.

“Last night at Alonso High School, during the candlelight vigil in memory of Jose Fernandez, his original Alonso High School baseball jersey went missing,” the district wrote in an email to media. “The jersey had been hanging in the dugout during the ceremony.”

District officials say when the coach and school officials began cleaning up after the ceremony, they discovered the theft.

See also: Jose Fernandez Remembered as ‘Special’ Player by High School Coach

Fernandez, 24, was killed Sunday, along with two others, after the boat they were on crashed into rocks near Miami Beach. The capsized 32-foot SeaVee center console boat was first spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard around 3:15 a.m. Sept. 25, officials said. When first responders arrived on the scene, they found two victims under the boat and one in the water nearby, said Lorenzo Veloz, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman.

Although many details of the crash are still under investigation, speed is likely to have been a factor in the crash, although drugs and alcohol did not appear to play a role, Veloz said.

News of Fernandez’s death rocked the Tampa Bay area and the Alonso High School community. Alonso High's baseball coach since the school opened in 2001, Landy Faedo coached Fernandez from 2009 to 2011. Fernandez attended Alonso after he, his mother and sister defected from Cuba after three attempts.

“Coach Landy Faedo is pleading with whoever took the jersey to return it,” the district said. The theft has been reported to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, as well.

“When I first saw him, I knew he was special,” Faedo told Patch after Fernandez’s death. “I had no doubt that he was going to be drafted and play pro ball.”

That prediction came true when he was drafted in the first round by the Miami Marlins in 2011. Fernandez quickly advanced through the minor leagues and made the Opening Day roster in 2013.

The Marlins have retired Fernandez's jersey, No. 16, in honor of the player. Fernandez has been described as a pillar of the community.

"He was involved in everything he could to give back," Veloz said after Fernandez's death.

Faedo agreed.

“He was a great guy,” Faedo said. “His teammates gravitated toward him. People just gravitated toward him. He was so full of energy and he lived life to the fullest.”

Alonso High School retired Fernandez's jersey after he was drafted by the Marlins.

Anyone with information about the jersey’s whereabouts can contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.

With reporting by Amanda Lamela

Main Image Credit: Arturo Pardavila III via Flickr, Creative Commons/Photo of Fernandez's Alonso jersey courtesy of Hillsborough County Public Schools