MIAMI – A disturbing viral video of people on personal watercrafts harassing a woman on a boat has the attention of authorities.
In the video, a man on one of the jet skis created a wave that almost toppled a smaller boat with only a rowing instructor on board.
Moments later, a second person on a jet ski sped by, also causing a dangerous wave.
The chaos on what some call the dangerous waters in the Miami Marine Stadium Basin has many who frequent the area concerned.
As for the woman who was on the 14-foot training boat, she is happy she made it out without any serious issues.
“For around three minutes, it was one side, other side, the front, the back. They don’t let me breathe,” said rowing instructor Yamel Ortiz.
The impact of the waves was so intense, she lost her cell phone and her glasses.
“I was very afraid of my life,” Ortiz said.
Rowers say this has been an ongoing frustrating problem for a long time and they are fearful that one of the kids they train could get hurt.
Now they are urging the city to step in.
“They need to protect our lives,” said Cesar Herrera, Head Coach of the Miami Rowiing Club. “They need to do their jobs because that is their responsibility.”
Local 10 News showed Miami police the video.
“It’s disturbing,” said Miami Police Ofc. Kenia Fallat. “This woman who was aboard this boat was in a very dangerous situation. It could very well have capsized.”
Miami police concurs that this is a problem, and they are looking for the person or persons behind what they call a criminal act.
“Clearly the intentions here were to either harm her or scare her,” Fallat said. “Fortunate enough she’s able to walk away from the incident.”
Local 10 News cameras have captured this kind of aggression on the water before.
Signs were put up in the area last year, trying to discourage speeders.
“It’s extremely challenging because this is not just a weekend activity, it is a seven-day issue,” said Miami Marine Patrol Lt. Alex Valdes.
Because the coverage area is so expansive, the City of Miami Marine Patrol is getting ready to hire five new officers and two more patrol boats.
“This is not going to be tolerated,” said Fallat.