Over the weekend, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) helicopter intervened in a perilous moment when a boater, later identified as 55-year-old Thomas Michael Reichert, was seen speeding towards hundreds of swimmers involved in a charity event off Marathon, Florida Keys. The charity swim aimed to benefit the Alligator Reef Lighthouse, a historic beacon guiding seafarers since the 1800s.
Caught on camera and fast becoming a harrowing moment, the helicopter pilot noticed the fishing boat heading dangerously close to the swimmers in the event. As reported by Local 10, the boater was unresponsive to the commands to stop, prompting the helicopter to make a dramatic maneuver. Hovering approximately 20 feet above the water's surface, the pilot positioned the chopper in front of the boat, leading to its halting.
This incident transpired despite attempts from FWC officials to gain Reichert's attention using sirens and a public address system. "I told them to stop the boat. They wouldn't," Senior Officer David Moss, who was aboard the chopper, told WFLA. "Chris Simons ended up flying the helicopter in front of the boat extremely low." It was this decisive action that prevented the swimmers from being hit, with other boaters also joining the effort to stop Reichert's vessel.
FWC released the footage of the pilot's actions as well as a video statement. "They definitely got very close and if it wasn't for the helicopter and the other boats it definitely could have been bad," Senior Officer David Moss elucidated in a statement obtained by NBC Miami.
The situation with Reichert escalated when after being stopped, he was found to be boating under the influence and illegally in possession of 12 wrung spiny lobster tails, a violation of state regulations prohibiting the separation of tail from body in spiny lobsters. Reichert has since been arrested and is expected to be arraigned on September 24, as confirmed by NBC Miami.
