Sheriff, CBP stop runaway boat off Islamorada after juveniles fall overboard

A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office marine deputy and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent stopped a runaway flats boat off Islamorada after multiple juveniles were thrown into the water, turning a busy afternoon on the water into a fast-moving rescue.

The incident began around 1 p.m. Sunday, June 1, near Mile Marker 89, where the boat was reported to be traveling about 35 mph in a congested area. The juveniles were ejected from the flats-style boat, but a good Samaritan pulled them from the water and no injuries were reported. For a brief stretch, the unmanned vessel kept going.

Responders first tried an entangling device to slow the boat, but it did not stop the vessel. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Marine Deputy Nelson Sanchez then brought the sheriff’s boat alongside the runaway craft, matching its speed and course. A CBP agent boarded Sanchez’s boat and used a long boat hook to reach across, manipulate the runaway boat’s controls and shut it down before the situation could turn deadlier.

The June 1 response came just weeks after another runaway flats boat incident in Monroe County. On May 15 near Mile Marker 73, two people were ejected from a flats boat and rescued unharmed by a good Samaritan. In that case, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and TowBoatUS stopped the vessel with an entangling device.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay used the back-to-back cases to press a broader warning as summer traffic builds across the Florida Keys. “The summer boating season is here,” Ramsay said, underscoring how quickly a routine outing can become an emergency in crowded Keys waters. The two incidents, both ending without serious injuries, also highlighted how easily a runaway boat can threaten nearby boaters, swimmers and rescuers if it is not brought under control immediately.