FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A man was saved last week after he became lost in a salt marsh along the northeast Florida coast.
The individual was located in the 1,500-acre marshland park known as Princess Place Preserve on Thursday night, where heavy rain caused the man to lose his way and find himself in ankle-deep water.
He called 911 and deputies were dispatched to his location, made possible by his GPS coordinates, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
However, deputies experienced challenges during their search, as severe weather made helicopter support unavailable and delayed their use of drones.
Point of view from an agency drone used to find the lost man. It shows how rain and wind impeded the search.
(Flagler County Sheriff’s Office / FOX Weather)
DRONE VIDEO SHOWS WATER RESCUE AFTER SMALL PLANE CRASHES
Police bodycam footage showed deputies making their way through the wet marshland, with only flashlights to guide them through the dark, as they slosh through the water and mud to locate the lost individual.
Officials said the man, who had remained on the line with 911, then reported that he was now in water deep enough to reach his waist and could hear the sirens.
With these details in mind, deputies entered the woods of Princess Place Preserve and found the man.
Still image from police bodycam footage showing the man stepping through marshland vegetation to meet his rescuers.
(Flagler County Sheriff’s Office / FOX Weather)
“Overcoming challenging terrain, knee-high mud, and heavy rain, FCSO deputies quickly located the man, with the assistance of an agency drone, and brought him to safety,” officials said.
They noted that the man did not suffer any serious injuries.
