Florida man who lost his jet ski while saving a bird tangled in wiring is finally rescued 12 hours after he swam to an abandoned stilt home
- Cole Torrent, 28, set off on a jet ski in Port Richey, Florida on Tuesday afternoon
- He was reported missing by a friend when he failed to return after several hours
- Police found his jet ski in a mangrove after several hours but didn’t located him until some 12 hours later
- A rescue helicopter managed to spot Torrent waving at them from a stilt home near the mouth of the Pithlachascotee River
- He said his saga began when he docked his jet ski to save a bird he spotted that was tangled in wiring
- The jet ski floated away and he got tired swimming after it due to the current
- He swam to a nearby stilt house and waited until he heard the helicopters
A Florida man has been rescued from an abandoned stilt house 12 hours after he lost his jet ski while trying to save a bird that was caught in a wire.
Cole Torrent, 28, borrowed his friend’s jet ski and took to the water at Millers Bayou in Port Richey on Tuesday afternoon.
Prior to setting off, he had posted a photo on Facebook of the green jet ski and asked if anyone wanted to come with him.
He was reported missing by his friend when he failed to return several hours later.
Cole Torrent, 28, was rescued by police on Wednesday from an abandoned stilt house in Port Richey, Florida about 12 hours after he lost his jet ski while trying to save a bird that was caught in a wire
Torrent posted this photo on Facebook just before he went asking if anyone wanted to come jet skiing with him. Authorities found the jet ski in the water several hours before they found him
Police and the U.S. Coast Guard were searching the waters for several hours when they came across the jet ski in a mangrove.
Some 12 hours later, a rescue helicopter managed to spot Torrent waving at them from a stilt home near the mouth of the Pithlachascotee River.
After being rescued, Torrent told WTVT that his saga began when he saw a bird tangled in wiring and wanted to save it.
He said he docked his jet ski to help the bird but didn’t secure the watercraft and it drifted away from him.
Torrent said he tried to swim to it but got tired because of the heavy current.
Torrent, pictured being reunited with loved ones, said he his saga began when he saw a bird tangled in wiring and wanted to save it. He said he docked his jet ski to help the bird but didn’t secure the watercraft and it drifted away from him
Police and the U.S. Coast Guard were searching the waters for several hours when they came across the jet ski in a mangrove. Some 12 hours later, a rescue helicopter (above) managed to spot Torrent waving at them from a stilt home near the mouth of the Pithlachascotee River
Instead, he swam to an abandoned stilt house and broke into it. He said the house had a space heater and a tarp to help him keep warm.
Torrent waited until he heard the helicopters flying overhead.
‘I’m a little tired and hungry, but other than that, I was able to manage,’ Torrent said after he was rescued.
Prior to setting off on Tuesday,
Torrent offered to repair the damages to the stilt home but police said he won’t face any charges.
Torrent told authorities after losing the jet ski, he swam to an abandoned stilt house and broke into it. He said the house had a space heater and a tarp to help him keep warm