A runaway boat sped out of control at 35 mph through a congested area of the Florida Keys on Sunday, after its occupants were thrown into the water. The incident marks the second time in less than a month that authorities in Monroe County have had to disable an unmanned vessel.
The incident began around 1 p.m. in the waters off Islamorada near Mile Marker 89. Multiple juveniles were ejected from a flats-style boat on a busy afternoon. A good Samaritan rescued the juveniles from the water, and no injuries were reported.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Marine Deputy Nelson Sanchez responded to the scene alongside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) vessel and a TowBoatUS vessel. Responders initially deployed an entangling device to slow the boat, but it failed to stop the vessel.
Deputy Sanchez then maneuvered the Sheriff’s Office boat alongside the runaway vessel, 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.
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A similar incident occurred nearby on May 15, 2026, near Mile Marker 73. In that case, two individuals were ejected from a flats boat and rescued unharmed by another good Samaritan. The Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and TowBoatUS successfully stopped that vessel using an entangling device.
Following the back-to-back incidents, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay urged the public to focus on safety as the warm weather brings more traffic to the water.
“The summer boating season is here,” Sheriff Ramsay said. “Now is the time to revisit safety procedures and remind yourself of marine laws and regulations. I want to commend Deputy Nelson Sanchez and our law enforcement partners who responded to these incidents. They could have ended very differently.”
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