POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Twelve people have been taken into custody after a group of migrants came ashore near the Hillsborough Inlet in Pompano Beach.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene near a marina along the 2600 block of North Riverside Drive, around 5:54 p.m., Wednesday afternoon.
U.S. Border Patrol agents believe the group was smuggled in via a 25-foot cabin cruiser.
A BSO Marine unit spotted the boat before several of the migrants jumped into the water, swam to shore and fled into the neighborhood.
“It was real low in the water, and when it came to the bridge, it started going faster,” said a witness in the area. “Some people started jumping off the boats.”
Some of the migrants could be seen in cellphone video footage running after they made it to shore.
At least one of the members of the group was caught in a nearby neighborhood.
One woman, who appeared to be pregnant, was taken away in an ambulance.
It remains unknown where the group came from and how long they had been out at sea.
“They do some incredible stuff. I mean, I fish, so I see a lot of rafts that the Coast Guards end up catching them on,” said witness Anthony Dipilato. “You don’t see that everyday. I’ve been here over five years, and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like that happen.”
All 12 migrants were taken to a nearby detention center.
The case remains under investigation.
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