SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard air and surface crews and a Good Samaritan rescue three boaters in distress off the coast of Loíza, Puerto Rico, Sunday night.
Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call relayed by a 911 emergency service operator at 7 p.m., Sunday, from a boater reporting that his father had jumped into the water without a life jacket in an attempt to fix their vessel’s outboard engine and was quickly swept away by the sea state and ocean currents. The reporting source further relayed two persons remained aboard the disabled vessel.
Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and a Station San Juan 33-foot Special Purpose craft-Law Enforcement to respond. Watchstanders notified Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action and Loíza Municipal Office of Emergency Management and also issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to alert vessel traffic in the area of the distress.
Moments thereafter, the Coast Guard aircrew arrived on scene, located the man in the water and vectored-in the Station San Juan boat crew to his position, who recovered and brought him safely aboard the vessel. Following the rescue, a Good Samaritan mariner arrived on scene and established a tow with the disabled vessel. The Coast Guard boat crew transported the survivor and escorted the Good Samaritan vessel and the disabled vessel to safe harbor in Piñones, Puerto Rico. No injuries or medical emergencies were reported in this case.
“This case showcased the very best of the Coast Guard and a Good Samaritan working during a rescue that resulted in three lives saved,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Denis Hernández Labiosa, Coast Guard Station San Juan coxswain for the case. “With the assistance of a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter, we were able to locate and safely recover a person in the water at night. I am extremely proud of my crew’s professionalism, resilience, and commitment to the mission. Their training, teamwork, and ability to remain focused under pressure were key to the successful outcome of this rescue. We greatly appreciate the Good Samaritan for his collaboration which helped bring the boaters and the disabled vessel to safety.”
Our U.S. Coast Guard Puerto Rico crews stands ready to save lives, protect America’s waterways, and support safe maritime activity.
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