A group of boaters are being praised for helping authorities locate a father and daughter whose jet-ski sank in an alligator-infested lake in Florida.
Christopher Snow, 31, and his daughter Alexis, 13, went missing Saturday after going for jet-ski ride from Baker Creek Park in Thonotosassa around 7 p.m. local time, according to a press release from theHillsborough County Sheriff’s Office(HCSO).
SamanthaJo Conover said she and her husband Jason Font offered to give Reich a ride and help search for Christoper and Alexis on Lake Thonotosassa, according toInsider.
Conover toldABC affiliate WFTSthat she overheard a concerning conversation about the father-daughter duo, who she saw earlier that evening.
“We were at the right place at the right time,” she told the outlets.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
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Joyce and Reich boarded the Conovers' boat and began the search for the missing jet-skiers, per the reports. They found Christopher and Alexis treading water about 40 minutes later.
As the vessel approaches the victims' position in the water, one boater can be heard saying, “I hear them! I hear them!” As the footage continues, the boat slows down as the rescuers approach, while one yells, “We’re coming!”
A few seconds later, the father and daughter scream for help while treading water. Shortly before they are pulled from the lake, an emotional Alexis tells the rescuers that their jet-ski “sunk underwater,” according to the video.
“It was amazing,” Conover toldToday. “Like, I cried. I held my husband, I cried. We would do it a thousand times again.”
Both Christopher and Alexis denied medical attention at the scene, as seen in the HCSO’s bodycam footage.
In the HCSO’s press release, Christopher said his life jacket “wasn’t sized properly” and reminded others to “make sure yours is fitted correctly.”
Reich thanked the Conovers for helping authorities search for the missing pair, who were lost in what he described as “a very alligator-ridden lake,” according toNBC affiliate WFLA.
“You didn’t just help a life, you saved it,” the HCSO deputy said, per the report.
But Conover said she does not consider herself a hero, telling WFTS: “We would have done it for anyone with no hesitation.”
source: people.com
