St. Lucie County Marine Unit Boat Sinking Rescue

St. Lucie County Marine Unit Rescues Two After Boat Sinks in Intracoastal

St. Lucie County sheriff’s Marine Unit deputies rescued two people from the Intracoastal Waterway after their boat sank; both wore life jackets and no injuries were reported.

By Joy

Published Jul 3, 2026 Updated Jul 3, 2026 Verified sourcing

St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office body-worn-camera source still, published by CBS12/WPEC, showing Marine Unit deputies helping two boaters from the water after their boat sank in the Intracoastal Waterway; ThinBlueNews added headline and source labeling.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Two people were rescued from the Intracoastal Waterway after their small motorized boat began taking on water and sank on July 1, according to CBS12/WPEC reporting on a St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office release.

CBS12/WPEC reported that the sheriff's office said its Marine Unit deputies responded Wednesday after reports of a vessel becoming submerged. The two occupants entered the water as the boat sank, but both remained afloat because they were wearing life jackets.

Body-worn camera showed deputies checking on the boaters

Body-worn-camera video released by the sheriff's office and published by CBS12 showed deputies arriving alongside the partially submerged boat and immediately checking on the people in the water.

“You guys all right?” a deputy asked, according to the CBS12 account of the video.

After determining the pair were safe, deputies worked to bring them aboard the patrol vessel and helped recover personal belongings from the sinking boat, the report said.

Life jackets turned a sinking-boat call into a safe rescue

The sheriff's office said Marine Unit deputies safely rescued both people and transported them back to a nearby boat ramp. No injuries were reported, according to CBS12.

One boater was heard thanking the deputies in the video, and the sheriff's office used the call as a reminder about wearing life jackets while boating.

“We're grateful this call ended safely and proud of the swift response by our Marine Unit deputies who are always ready to answer the call,” the agency said in a social-media post quoted by CBS12.

For Support Law Enforcement readers, the rescue is a clear example of why specialized marine units and basic boating safety matter. A sinking boat can become a tragedy quickly; in this case, flotation devices and a fast deputy response helped keep the outcome safe.

Sources reviewed

Editorial note: ThinBlueNews used the sheriff's office facts as reported by CBS12/WPEC and a real redacted body-camera source still. The article does not identify the rescued boaters, does not speculate on why the boat sank, and does not use staged or AI-generated rescue imagery.