Trending Topics

Watch: First responders rescue unconscious Fla. man in out-of-control boat

A Volusia County firefighter made a daring leap onto a runaway boat to rescue an unconscious man as the vessel spun out of control on a lake near De Leon Springs

By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida firefighter made a dangerous leap from one moving boat to another when a vessel was found spinning out of control with an unconscious man aboard, video shows.

The dire predicament was discovered around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, when a caller reported “a boat spinning in circles” on Lake Dias near De Leon Springs, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. The lake is about a 50-mile drive north from Orlando.

“Responding units spotted a single unresponsive occupant on the boat and quickly came up with a plan to rescue him,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the Facebook post.

“The Marine Unit crew moved in close enough for ... Technical Rescue Deputy Team Leader John Kyp to jump on board, stop the boat, and get the patient to shore.”

It took multiple attempts, but Kyp pulled it off just as the boat neared a fallen tree along the bank, video shows.

The rescuers discovered a diabetes kit aboard the boat, suggesting the 68-year-old Flagler Beach man had experienced “a diabetic emergency,” sheriff’s office officials told McClatchy News in an email.

He is expected to recover, the sheriff’s office said.

Kyp is an acting division chief with Volusia County Fire Rescue, officials said. The other three men in the rescue boat have been identified as Senior Deputy Matt Seltzer (operating the boat), Sgt. Brodie Hughes and Capt. Anthony Shank.

The video had been viewed nearly 245,000 times as of Feb. 6, and had 6,000 comments and reactions, many calling the four-man rescue team “courageous.”

“This made me cry watching these wonderful officers saving this man’s life. God working through others is a beautiful sight to see!” Katherine Bennett Rebholz wrote on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.

©2025 The Charlotte Observer.
Visit charlotteobserver.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Phoenix’s Hall of Flame Museum showcases firefighting history and honors fallen heroes with over 130 fire engines and interactive exhibits
More than 150 musicians from as far as Virginia and Calgary joined the Coeur d’Alene Firefighter Pipes and Drums to honor two battalion chiefs killed in a tragic ambush
The Austin Firefighters Association launched a no-confidence vote over claims Chief Joel Baker delayed flood aid to Kerr County, allegations he denies as city leaders back him
A recent multi-agency wildfire training exercise helped Orange County fire and law enforcement teams swiftly contain the Rancho fire in Laguna Beach