Deputy, good Samaritan save three teens after runaway boat scare near Islamorada

Three teenagers were thrown from a flats-style boat off Islamorada, and the unmanned vessel kept running at about 35 miles per hour through busy water until a Monroe County sheriff’s marine deputy and a good Samaritan got it under control. The quick rescue kept the June 1 scare from turning into a worse collision in one of the Upper Keys’ most congested boating corridors.

The teens went overboard in an area where the afternoon traffic made the situation even more dangerous. More boats were on the water, more people were in the water, and the runaway vessel kept moving on its own, a fast-moving hazard for anyone nearby. In the end, none of the teenagers were hurt.

The deputy’s body camera captured the rescue as the boat was tracked down and physically disabled. The response depended on a fast, coordinated effort between the bystander and law enforcement, with the deputy and the Samaritan working together to close the distance before the boat could strike another vessel or force another emergency in the channel.

The episode was a sharp reminder of how little room there is for error on local waters. A boat that continues moving after passengers are thrown clear can become a threat not just to the people who fell overboard, but to swimmers, anglers, other boaters and first responders who have to enter the same crowded stretch of water to stop it.

It also puts a hard safety lesson back in front of families heading out in the Florida Keys: runaway boats are not just dramatic accidents, they are preventable risks that can escalate in seconds. In the Upper Keys, where flats boats, weekend traffic and narrow runs mix constantly, the margin for error is thin. That is why basic precautions and close supervision matter so much, especially when children and teenagers are aboard.

The scare near Islamorada also came amid another recent runaway-boat episode in the Florida Keys, adding to concern that similar accidents can happen quickly in local waters. For Monroe County boaters, the message from this rescue was plain: when a boat is still moving and nobody is at the controls, a routine outing can turn into a life-threatening emergency before anyone has time to react.