An autistic boy and his father were carried out into the open ocean by a rip current on Saturday. Christopher Marino, 12, and his father Walter were swimming near Ponce Inlet, Fla., when they were dragged away.
Darkness fell and search operations ceased for the night. Jellyfish began to bite the two, and Christopher and Walter started to drift away from each other. They lost eye contact, but they continued to yell back and forth to one another. Soon they were too far apart to communicate
Walter was rescued by a group of fishermen the next morning. Thinking his son had drowned, Walter joined in the Coast Guard’s search for Christopher. The Coast Guard found Christopher three miles from where his father was picked up.
oh no! thats horrible!!!
I was the Coast Guard Flight Mechanic on this case and I was the one that spotted and retrieved Chris. I belonged to Boy Scout Troop 219 back some days ago. Scouting helped steer me toward a military career and it was the best decision I ever made!