When a Florida boater was tossed from his vessel during a water-bound return from a weekend boat show, what followed was a gripping example of marine policing at its best — complete with bodycam footage, rough conditions, and a daring leap by a Sarasota Police Department officer onto a speeding, unmanned centre-console boat.
The drama unfolded on this past Monday (28 April 2025), just north of the Ringling Museum in Sarasota Bay. The 26-foot Everglades centre-console vessel had gone rogue, circling at approximately 40 mph after the operator was thrown overboard while navigating the wake of a larger boat which had crossed in front of it. The vessel — still under full throttle — tore across the water in increasingly unpredictable patterns, creating a significant hazard to nearby boaters and responders.
Multiple agencies scrambled to assist, including the Sarasota Police Department Marine Unit, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. The top priority: stop the runaway boat before it hit anything — or anyone.
Initial attempts to foul the propeller using traditional tow lines failed. Even experienced crews found the combination of boat speed, tight turning radius, and choppy water too challenging to get a clean hook. It wasn’t until SeaTow deployed a high-tech plasma tow line that responders saw progress — the tough, lightweight material snagged briefly under the hull, reducing the boat’s speed just enough to allow for the next phase of the operation.
That’s when the Sarasota officer brought the police boat alongside the unmanned vessel in a move requiring pinpoint precision. With timing as critical as the surf conditions were rough, a police officer climbed onto the starboard gunwale of the police boat, bracing himself as the two boats matched speeds. In a move reminiscent of a movie stunt — but very much grounded in professional marine training — he lunged across the water and landed on the deck of the rogue boat.
The successful boarding, caught on body-worn camera and later posted to the department’s Facebook page, shows the officer quickly seizing control of the vessel and bringing it to a stop.
The vessel’s operator, meanwhile, was retrieved from the water with only minor injuries. He told police that he had been returning the boat to its berth after a boat show when a larger vessel crossed his path, throwing up a sizeable wake. Attempting to cross it at speed, he lost control and was thrown overboard. Crucially, he was not wearing a life jacket and had not engaged the boat’s emergency engine cut-off switch — a legal requirement in many jurisdictions and a critical safety device that could have prevented the boat from continuing on without him.
The Sarasota Police Department used the incident to highlight two vital safety reminders: always wear a life jacket and always use the engine cut-off switch — especially when operating at planing speeds or in busy waterways.
Although the drama ended without injury or property damage, authorities stressed how easily it could have gone the other way. A runaway vessel at 40 mph is a deadly hazard to anyone on the water — not to mention nearly impossible to stop without the kind of trained, multi-agency response seen in Sarasota.
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