'90 Day Fiancé' Alum Caroline Schwitzky's Boyfriend Accused of Trying to Drown Her at Boca Bash

A wild boat party turned into a fight for survival when 90 Day Fiancé star Caroline Schwitzky was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend in Lake Boca Raton.

Cole Goldberg is now facing an attempted murder trial after witnesses described a terrifying 20-minute struggle where he reportedly held the reality star underwater. The harrowing incident at the 2022 Boca Bash only ended when bystanders dived into the water to save her from his 'stranglehold'.

Defendant Faces 20 Years as Trial Begins

Cole Goldberg, the man accused of attempting to drown 90 Day Fiancé star Caroline Schwitzky, claims he only grabbed her to stop himself from sinking, but he faces a potential 20-year prison stint if the court decides his motives were more sinister.

Goldberg is facing attempted murder and domestic battery charges for allegedly pinning his former girlfriend beneath the water at the 2022 Boca Bash, an attack that witnesses on nearby boats claim saw him gripping her neck in a total rage until a stranger managed to pull her to safety.

Goldberg Rejects Plea Deal for Bench Trial

Legal teams for Goldberg argue that the witnesses were simply wrong, claiming their accounts were clouded by alcohol, yet were treated as fact by inexperienced officers with no background in domestic abuse cases. Rather than accepting a plea bargain that involved half a year in jail and a written apology, the defendant chose to let Judge John Parnofiello decide his fate in a bench trial.

The trial kicked off on 9 March and is set to feature testimony from both Goldberg and Schwitzky, the 36-year-old Miami model and talent agent who appeared on the 2016 season of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

While there is no jury to sway, hundreds are watching the case unfold online as legal teams present two completely different versions of the events on 24 April 2022, involving Goldberg, who was a law student himself before his arrest.

Prosecution: Bystander Forced to Rescue Victim

Assistant State Attorney Victoria Suarez stated that Goldberg and Schwitzky had been drinking with a group of friends throughout Boca Bash, the annual unofficial boat party on Lake Boca Raton. As the day wore on, the couple started arguing until Schwitzky finally told Goldberg that their relationship was finished and leapt into the water.

Goldberg leapt in after her, and when he caught up to her by a nearby boat—where she was clinging to a pool noodle held out by a man named Matt Paris—he seized her neck with both hands and pinned her beneath the surface.

'Seconds go by and seconds go by and seconds go by,' Suarez said, 'until everybody that's watching this happen realises that this isn't going to stop.'

Paris eventually managed to pull her away and helped her onto a boat belonging to another witness, who by then was using a long pole to keep Goldberg from climbing on after her. 'This was not somebody seeking a life-saving device and using a person instead. This was not that,' Suarez said.

Defence Claims Victim is an 'Opportunist'

Heidi Perlet, representing Goldberg, presented a starkly different version of events. In an opening statement far longer than the prosecution's, she detailed a complex alternative story, questioning the reliability of every major witness and portraying Schwitzky as a calculated opportunist who used the incident to boost her own profile and bank balance.

'This woman, unfortunately, destroyed his life and brought us to why we are here today,' Perlet said. He argued that Goldberg was actually drowning when he reached Schwitzky and had only grabbed her shoulder as a desperate, involuntary reflex after becoming exhausted and disoriented in the strong current.

Perlet contended that photographs taken immediately after the incident show no bruising on Schwitzky's neck and that her hair was even dry. According to the lawyer, Schwitzky described Goldberg as her boyfriend and a 'good person' to those on the boat and the police.

'She wasn't crying. She wasn't running behind any of the witnesses on the boat to hide from this alleged killer. She didn't even accuse him of killing her. She's acting tender and sweet and concerned that he's in the water, unable to help himself,' Perlet said.

Allegations of Financial and Fame Motives

As for why Schwitzky would later claim Goldberg tried to take her life, Perlet pointed toward a financial incentive, noting that the reality star sued him for over $30,000 (£22334.40) within months of the event—a civil case that is still ongoing and partly relies on a criminal conviction.

Schwitzky took her story to the media, giving paid interviews to TMZ, People, and the New York Post while sharing details with her 86,000 Instagram followers. She even earned $20,000 for a video where she shaved her head, claiming she was 'reborn' after nearly dying, and eventually turned the incident into material for the Miami comedy circuit.

'She sees herself as an influencer. She basically promotes herself for attention, and that is in large part what this case is about,' Perlet argued, suggesting the entire case was driven by a desire for fame. The final decision now rests with Judge Parnofiello.