DE LEON SPRINGS, Florida — A 911 call-taker, an Air One flight paramedic, patrol deputies, EMS crews and a local boater converged on Lake Woodruff after a 56-year-old fisherman collapsed on a pontoon boat Sunday morning, according to two local reports citing the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The fisherman did not survive despite the coordinated response and extended lifesaving efforts. ThinBlueNews is reporting the response without identifying the man because the published accounts did not name him and the outcome is a private loss for his family.
A 6:45 a.m. call starts the response
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported Aug. 23 that sheriff’s call-takers received the 911 call at about 6:45 a.m. after the Astor man suffered a medical emergency. The call-taker provided CPR instructions while responders moved toward the remote boat.
Air One located the pontoon from above. Flight Paramedic Matthew “Matt” Brunelle jumped from the helicopter into the lake and swam to the boat, becoming the first responder to reach it, the reports said.
WESH reported that Brunelle had no cardiac monitor or medical supplies with him in the water, leaving CPR as the immediate lifesaving measure available in that environment.
A local boater gives deputies a way in
Patrol deputies on shore encountered a man with his own boat. He agreed to take them onto the lake, and Air One guided the group to the pontoon. Deputies climbed aboard and continued CPR while Brunelle steered toward land, according to the reports.
EMS personnel met the group on the water, continued lifesaving measures and accompanied the trip back toward an awaiting ambulance.
Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy Jevon Gardner told WESH that willing Good Samaritans can make an enormous difference when responders face a situation that might otherwise leave them without a path to the person needing help.
The outcome responders hoped to change
The sheriff’s office said everyone involved gave their best to give the fisherman a chance, but he did not recover. The agency offered condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
This was not the outcome responders wanted. It was, however, a clear example of a public-safety chain working under difficult conditions: emergency instructions by phone, aerial location, a paramedic entering the water, deputies accepting a civilian’s help, and EMS continuing care on the return trip.
Readers can find more verified acts of service in our police hero stories, police rescue news and positive police news sections.
Sources and visual disclosure
- Daytona Beach News-Journal — Aug. 23 report citing the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
- WESH — Aug. 23 report with comments from Flight Paramedic Matthew Brunelle and Deputy Jevon Gardner.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service context photograph via Wikimedia Commons.
Visual note: the featured image is a 2013 public-domain USFWS photograph of Lake Woodruff by E. Tramontana. It is contextual and does not depict the Aug. 23, 2026 medical emergency, Air One flight, responders, pontoon or local boater. ThinBlueNews did not download or republish the publishers’ incident video or frames.
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