A Miami Beach police officer drove out of his jurisdiction by boat this past Sunday to help rescue three brothers after their boat had capsized.
The incident occurred when police received a 911 call just after 8:30 a.m.
“The owner of the vessel says he thinks he knows where he’s at, about two miles from the Haulover Inlet,” officer Ernesto Rodriguez told Fox News-affiliate 7 News Miami.
Fleischhauer was alone in his police boat at the time and thought the inlet was out of his jurisdiction — it’s about 13.3 kilometres north of Miami Beach — yet he was determined to rescue the boaters.
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Bodycam footage shows the officer arriving where the boaters’ vessel had capsized to find at least one of them sitting atop the boat and the other two in the water.
“Is everybody accounted for?” Fleischhauer can be heard asking the brothers, before asking Michael Morales whether he can swim, to which he responds, “yes.”
He is then seen opening the door to his boat as the brothers swim one-by-one up to the video.
The department’s Marine Patrol also responded in addition to Fleischhauer.
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It’s believed the men were stranded for about an hour after the boat flipped, the Sun Sentinel reports.
“Just imagine rough seas out there, which is what caused the boat to capsize,” Rodriguez said. “And being out there without a life jacket and not knowing when someone is coming to help.”
One of the brothers is seen almost slipping back into the water but Fleischhauer, who had been helping each man into the boat, kept his grip on him saying, “You’re OK, you’re OK, you’re OK.”
According to the brothers, the U.S. Coast Guard also responded with a “big Coast Guard aircraft” circling above them.
Yasser Morales, who said he’s the eldest of the three, said he tried to stay calm.
“I didn’t want to freak out. I had my two younger brothers with me, and we kept talking to each other and just keeping ourselves calm,” Yasser told Fox.
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The 10-year veteran of the force says he doesn’t want praise for what he did.
“Look, I was just doing my job,” he said.
All three men were checked out by Miami Dade Fire Rescue as a precaution after their ordeal.
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