A woman was rescued from the Concord River after her paddle boat got stuck in muddy waters following sunset Tuesday evening. She called 911 and relayed her GPS coordinates from her cellphone, giving rescuers the lead they needed to find her in the dark.
According to WWLP, the woman was 82 years old, while WHDH reported she was 83 and identified her as a Billerica resident named Marie Morinico. WHDH also reported that the rudder on her paddleboat broke, leaving her stranded in a bog roughly three miles upstream.
Air Support Guided Crews Through the Dark
The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing assisted Billerica Fire Department and EMS crews as they searched for the woman, per the station's report. The New Bedford Guide reported that the Air Wing's Air 5 helicopter guided firefighters and rescue swimmers directly to her exact location after she had already become stuck in the muddy cove after sunset.
Massachusetts State Police released helicopter footage of the search and rescue operation, as noted by The Gardner News. The footage captures the coordinated effort between air support and ground crews as they worked to locate the stranded boater once darkness had fully set in.
Brought Safely to Shore
The woman was brought safely to shore once rescuers reached her location. The same account from WWLP stated there were no reported injuries, though the New Bedford Guide noted that no further details about her condition were released. Reports differ on both her age and identity, and those discrepancies remain unresolved in the available accounts of the incident.
