BOSTON – The Boston Police Department’s Harbor Patrol briefly rescued a father and son who were desperately clinging to a beverage cooler on the outer edge of Boston Harbor as a crab boat capsized.
Officers Stephen Merrick and Garrett Boyle responded to a call about a boat taking on water around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday near the Graves Light Station, police said in a statement. The privately owned lighthouse sits on a rocky island 9 miles off the coast.
As they approached, the officers saw a small part of the ship’s Glory Days above the water, but as they got closer, they saw the two holding a blue cooler.
“You could see the fear on their faces,” Merrick said. “They were cold. They looked very tired and weak.
The dramatic rescue was captured on a police body camera.
“We’re too weak,” the youngest is heard saying.
He asked the authorities to rescue his 76-year-old father, who was wearing a life jacket at the time.
“Please help him,” he said. “Help him first.”
The young man, who was holding on to a life ring, was taken to a police boat by the officers.
The men said their boat’s 28-foot engine had become tangled in lobster lines and failed. Police said the boat was pushed onto the rocks by the current and blew a hole.
The men were taken to shore where emergency medical technicians treated them for minor injuries. Their boat was towed from the spot.
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