ISLAMORADA — Three teenagers were thrown from a runaway vessel in the waters off Islamorada on Sunday. The incident occurred off Mile Marker 89, located between Key Largo and Marathon, and none of the teenagers sustained injuries.
A bystander retrieved the teenagers from the water around 1 p.m. The unmanned flats-style boat continued to travel at approximately 35 miles per hour through a congested area on a busy afternoon. Marine Deputy Nelson Sanchez of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat, and a TowBoatUS vessel responded to the scene.
An entangling device was deployed in an attempt to slow the vessel, but it did not completely stop the boat. Deputy Sanchez positioned his boat alongside the runaway vessel, matching its speed and course. A CBP agent, who was aboard the sheriff's office boat, used a long boat hook to reach the controls of the other vessel and bring it to a stop.
The Sheriff's Office reported this was the second incident in less than three weeks where people were thrown from a flats boat in the Florida Keys. A separate event on May 15 near Mile Marker 73 involved two people being thrown from a flats boat, who were also retrieved unharmed by a bystander. Monroe Sheriff Rick Ramsay noted that "Both of these incidents could have ended very differently."
Ramsay said, "The summer boating season is here." He added, "Now is the time to revisit safety procedures and remind yourself of marine laws and regulations."
No independent assessment was available for this report.