HAULOVER BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Rescue crews came to the aid of three boaters were after, officials said, their vessel flipped over off of Haulover Inlet, Thursday morning.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the three men were lucky that help came just in time. They are all OK, but one was placed in police custody for allegedly driving with a suspended license.
MDFR and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene, about six miles off of Haulover Inlet and rescued the men, just after 9 a.m.
Alberto Gutierrez, one of the boaters, said he and his friends went on an early morning fishing trip when their boat began to take on water. According to MDFR, the boat’s pump malfunctioned, and then the choppy waves led to the boat capsizing.
“Water started getting in the boat and the boat sank,” Gutierrez said.
Officials brought the three men to the coast, where they were questioned by police for nearly an hour before one of them was led away to a Miami-Dade Police cruiser in handcuffs.
The three are reportedly from Puerto Rico and were here on vacation. They began their fishing trip at Crandon Park, nearly 20 miles from where they were found.
“They had a bad bilge pump, and they started taking in water to the back. It didn’t work. It was real wavy out there,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Ivan Alicot.
MDFR said the trio did not have a radio on board and were able to call 911 using their cellphones. “They were able to get their phone before it submerged in the water and call 911, and they didn’t have a location, and 911 used the satellite function of the phone and locate their precise location,” Alicot said. “They were out there, maybe, 15 minutes.”
Miami-Dade Police said the man that was arrested was taken into custody due to a warrant. They said he had been driving with a suspended license.
The other two men left the scene as they called family members.
Fire rescue said this incident serves as a reminder to have everything needed before going out on the water. “The Coast Guard has a checklist of things that you should have,” Alicot said, “but definitely, if you’re going out there, you should have flares, you should have VHF radio.”
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