Good Samaritans Help Deputy Find Missing Jet Skiers

A group of good Samaritans in Florida helped police rescue a father and daughter who never returned after taking out a jet ski on the lake. Christopher Snow, 31, and his daughter, Alexis, 13, had gone out on Baker Creek Park for a ride at sunset, but his girlfriend, Carolyn Joyce, went to the dock around 8 p.m. after being unable to get in touch over the phone with the pair.

Seeing that Snow and Alexis had yet to return, Joyce alerted Deputy Kevin Reich, who was on routine patrol at the dock. Samantha Conover, her fiancé and some friends were out Saturday night having dinner on the water in Lake Thonotosassa. Afterwards, they brought their pontoon back to the public boat ramp where they saw Deputy Kevin Reich, who was looking for two jet skiers. Conover had seen the two earlier so she offered Deputy Reich a ride on her boat to work together to search the lake.

Within 40 minutes of first speaking with Joyce about the missing father and daughter, Reich and the others heard the teen frantically scream “Help!” The rescuers shouted back “We’re coming, baby, we’re coming!” The father and daughter had been treading water for about an hour after their jet ski sank in the middle of the lake. Deputy Reich’s body camera captured the thrilling yet emotional moment as the two were successfully pulled aboard the boat.

The pair appeared exhausted on the video when the rescuers pulled them aboard, and officials said they had been treading water for nearly an hour. Conover said “ It was nerve racking for all of us. I don’t think I ever could be able to get it out of my mind, the screams I heard from her”. She added about finding them “It was amazing. Like, I cried. I held my husband, I cried. We would do it a thousand times again.”

At a press conference, grateful Snow said “I want to thank both the boaters that helped and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for being on patrol and noticing something wasn’t right. My life jacket wasn’t sized properly, so this is a good reminder to make sure yours is fitted correctly.”