{"id":2174563,"date":"2024-04-12T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T10:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2174563"},"modified":"2024-04-13T18:55:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-13T16:55:38","slug":"florida-everglades-tour-operator-is-arrested-after-boat-flips-over-and-dumps-nine-passengers-into-alligator-infested-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/florida-everglades-tour-operator-is-arrested-after-boat-flips-over-and-dumps-nine-passengers-into-alligator-infested-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Everglades tour operator is arrested after boat flips over and dumps nine passengers into alligator-infested waters"},"content":{"rendered":"

An airboat overturned during a tour through the Florida Everglades, launching all ten people on board into the alligator-infested waters below.<\/p>\n

A group from Coopertown Airboats was heading through the Everglades National Park on Friday afternoon when the boat operator spotted an alligator nearby.<\/p>\n

Wanting to give tourists a closer look, he turned abruptly, sending the boat onto its side and everyone into the murky water.<\/p>\n

Jose Maldonado was enjoying an outing with his relatives and friends, including some visiting from Puerto Rico, when he was thrown overboard.<\/p>\n

‘All of a sudden, the captain wanted to make a U-turn, sort of on the water, so we could get a better picture…and the boat flipped on its side,’ he told 7News.<\/p>\n

‘And we were all in the water, and we were all screaming because the alligator was right there.’<\/p>\n

\"The
The boat flipped onto its side when the operator turned sharply to give tourists a better look at a nearby alligator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The encounter quickly turned terrifying for Leon Tourigny, a tourist from Quebec, who filmed the accident on his cell phone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Footage
Footage shows the passengers scrambling out of the murky water as they attempt to get out of the animal’s path<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Maldonado, the group tried to flip the boat over, to no avail.<\/p>\n

Leon Tourigny, a human resources officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, was another one of the unlucky passengers.<\/p>\n

The Quebec man filmed the group wading through knee-deep water and reeds as they scrambled out of the animal’s path.<\/p>\n

It took 15 minutes for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to arrive, passengers said.<\/p>\n

Luckily David Gonzalez, another airboat operator, happened to be passing by and helped the shaken passengers onboard.<\/p>\n

By the time fire rescue officials arrived, all passengers had climbed out of the water. One person was treated for injuries at the scene and did not require hospitalization.<\/p>\n

Juan Carlos Negro, who was visiting from Puerto Rico, said he was left with scratches but otherwise unharmed.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) confirmed that the boat operator had been taken to jail.<\/p>\n

\"Another
Another passenger, Jose Maldonado, said the group was ‘screaming because the alligator was right there’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The tour was organized through Miami-based Coopertown Airboat Tours<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The operator was arrested and booked into jail for failing to complete a boating safety course and lacking a required captain’s license<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"By
By the time Miami Dade Fire Rescue fire rescue officials arrived, all passengers had climbed out of the water<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Crews
Crews towed the airboat (not pictured) back to shore and cleaned up fuel that had spilled into the water<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

‘The operator of the airboat, an employee of Coopertown Airboat Rides, was arrested and transported to jail for having neither proof of completion of a boating safety course nor a captain’s license issued by the United States Coast Guard,’ the statement read.<\/p>\n

They declined to identify the operator by name, but the man was escorted to a waiting police cruiser once he and the other passengers reached shore.<\/p>\n

Crews righted the airboat and towed it away before cleaning up spilled fuel.<\/p>\n

The FFWCC is currently investigating the incident.<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> by Mackenzie Tatananni was first published by The Daily Mail on 3 April 2024. Lead Image:\u00a0An airboat overturned during a tour through the Florida Everglades on Friday afternoon, sending all ten passengers into the alligator-infested water.<\/em><\/p>\n

What you can do<\/h2>\n

Help to save wildlife by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute.<\/p>\n

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