STUART, Fla. (WSVN) — Martin County officials and a good Samaritan rescued a 200-pound turtle after it was found wedged between the waves and a rock.
Suzanne Cosme is grateful to have been in the right place at the right time after witnessing an animal in need of help Wednesday morning.
“Well, she actually blended in, and she looked like a rock,” she said. “I was taking sunrise photos, and I saw that the turtle was wedged into the rocks, and I just wanted to save the turtle because I love animals.”
The roughly 200-pound loggerhead turtle was stuck on the House of Refuge beach, bleeding and tired. Cosme immediately called for help.
“I called the non-emergency sheriff’s office, and they sent me to FWC,” Cosme said. “And then FWC and the fire department came out, and they rescued her.”
Two Martin County firefighters and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officer got there in about 45 minutes, helping the turtle find her way back to the sea.
“Oddly enough, the same crew had a call approximately a year ago with the same situation,” said Martin County Fire Rescue Chief Tom Hornbostel. “Although not common, it does happen from time to time.”
The district chief was just happy his crews were able to help.
Cosme described seeing her safely make her way back into the ocean as magical.
“It was relieving and exciting and amazing and stuff, and I’m just glad that God let her be alive and that I was there to witness it, that she was still alive, and she made it back to her home,” she said.
According to FWC, the turtle was not hurt. They urge anyone who spots a sea turtle in distress to call its wildlife alert hotline.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.