A puddle of standing water that formed at Miami’s Bayfront Park during Ultra Music Festival carried Joseph Capriati offshore.
Joseph Capriati is known to sweep people off their feet with his performances — figuratively, at least. Little did the techno DJ and producer know that he would literally be swept off his own when severe rain hit Ultra Music Festival at Bayfront Park in Miami over the weekend.
Ultra’s organizers had paused the festival’s Sunday programming in light of the weather, but they resumed operations within an hour as videos surfaced of attendees casually playing in shallow puddles. Capriati wasn’t so fortunate. Eyewitnesses report that the Drumcode-signed recording artist attempted to wade through standing water and lost his footing, ultimately getting whisked away into the Miami South Channel.
Search parties scoured the area for Capriati on Sunday evening and throughout Monday, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Then, in the morning on Tuesday, April 1, a jogger discovered him four miles away on South Beach, waterlogged and disoriented but alive and well.
“I am deeply sorry for the uncertainty felt by my loved ones, my team, Ultra, and my fans as a result of this incident,” Capriati said in a statement shared across social media channels. “I can promise that I’ve learned my lesson and will never again underestimate a puddle, no matter how benign it may seem.”
“We are grateful and relieved to learn of Joseph Capriati’s safe return after Sunday’s downpour stranded him at sea,” reads a statement shared by Ultra Music Festival. “After last year’s storm swept Armin van Buuren off the Worldwide Stage mid-Jesus pose, we really couldn’t afford another weather-related controversy.”
The news comes amid organizers’ announcement that tickets are now on sale for the festival’s 2026 edition, including a group package that offers a life raft and Ultra-branded inflatable vests.
