According to Sarasota police, initial reports indicated that the vessel was circling unmanned at about 40 mph.
SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The Sarasota Police Department released video on Monday showing the moment officers were able to stop a runaway boat near the Ringling Museum.
SPD responded to a call of a “boater in distress” just north of the museum. Initial reports indicated that a boater had fallen overboard, and the vessel was circling unmanned at about 40 mph.
After arriving, officials say they made several attempts to foul the vessel’s motor with tow lines but had no luck. Eventually, they were able to deploy a plasma tow line, slightly slowing the vessel.
The reduced speed allowed officers to safely maneuver alongside the vessel, board it and bring it to a stop.
Officer Ron Dixon with SPD’s Marine Unit was at the wheel of his boat while Lt. Bruce King jumped onto the rogue boat and switched the engine off.
“That vessel traveling 40 miles an hour by itself could’ve T-boned any of the many vessels that were going through the area,” Dixon said.
“The biggest thing I didn’t want was to hit the wet deck and slip. I calculated it. Ron had it perfectly set up. Mike was holding me. I took the jump,” Lt King said.
“It wasn’t till afterwards, you know, you get the adrenaline pump and say, ‘Wow, that was pretty neat.’ I’m glad you were able to do it without colliding with his boat, without me going overboard or between the boats, and it all worked out really well,” King added.
The man operating the vessel reportedly told officers that he was returning the boat after a boat show at Marina Jack when a larger vessel cut in front of him. As he was trying to navigate the wake, he was thrown off the boat.
Officials say the operator was not wearing a life jacket at the time and was not using the vessel’s emergency engine cut-off switch. He was left with minor injuries.
No injuries were reported to law enforcement or any other vessel.
The incident is raising reminders for the public about boating safety and etiquette. With limited law enforcement personnel able to patrol every area of the waterways, boat rental operators are getting reports of improper behavior out on the water by some boaters.
“I hear lots of stories of people just being reckless, going too fast, and not following the rules. In a heartbeat, your day just turns into like a very bad day very fast,” Klaus Konig, owner of Off The Hook Boat Rentals based in Sarasota, said.
Konig said recent boating mishaps in the area have led him to impress upon his customers the importance of adhering to the safety rules.
“I show them the lifejackets right over there, and the kill switch is right over here. I just tell them that the best practice is just to have the kill switch on the jacket. You know that way we kill two birds with one stone. Life jacket on, kill switch on,” Konig explained.
Sarasota police are echoing the same thing.
“The Sarasota Police Department reminds all boaters to always wear a life jacket and properly utilize the emergency engine cut-off switch to prevent accidents and injuries on the water,” the agency wrote in a Facebook post.
In addition to the police department, officials from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Venice Police Department and SeaTow assisted with the incident.
10 Tampa Bay’s Adaure Achumba contributed to this report.
A full video from the Sarasota Police Department can be viewed below: