A boater is under arrest after heading toward a group of swimmers in the Florida Keys, only stopping when a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) pilot dropped close to the water to avert catastrophe, authorities said.
Senior Officer David Moss was the tactical fleet operator working with pilot Lieutenant Chris Simons to keep watch from the sky on Sept. 7, as hundreds of swimmers competed in a charity swim to benefit the Alligator Reef Lighthouse.
“We were using the helicopter to get any inbound boats that were going towards the race area and keeping the swimmers safe as they went back and forth to the lighthouse,” Moss explained in a video statement released by the FWC.
They’d approached a few vessels and alerted over sirens and speakers to steer clear of the event.
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“On a particular incident… Simons flew the plane down close to the boat. I was able to hit the sirens multiple times. They weren’t responding,” Moss said.
Authorities kept trying to get close and communicate with the boater, later identified as Thomas Michael Reichert, 55, of Naples.
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“I was able to see the occupants and the driver on the boat. They weren’t paying attention,” Moss said. “They didn’t see us.”
That’s when Simons flew into action.
Just seconds away from a potentially devastating collision, he lowered the chopper and hovered about 20 feet in front of the suspect. Moss said he could see both the boat and swimmers at the same time.
"At that point, the captain was maybe 15 to 20 yards away from the swimmers and I knew I had to do something," Simons said in a statement. "I pulled my helicopter right in front of the boat to block him from hitting any swimmers or kayakers."
Footage of the pilot's heroic actions were released by FWC on Wednesday. It shows how the vessel allegedly captained by Reichert comes to a stop as support boats pull up.
“They weren’t stopping until we got extremely close...and if it wasn't for the helicopter and the other boats it definitely could have been bad,” Moss said.
Reichert was found to be boating under the influence, officials said. He was also allegedly “in possession of 12 wrung spiny lobster tails. Separating the tail from the body of a spiny lobster is prohibited in state waters,” the FWC said.
His arraignment is set for Sept. 24.
