FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A woman was transported to a hospital in critical condition after authorities say she was pulled from the water at Fort Lauderdale Beach Thursday afternoon.
The woman had reportedly removed her lifejacket and plunged into the ocean from her Jet Ski, failing to resurface, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.
A FLFR spokesperson said first responders deployed a formidable array of resources, including Fire Boat 49, a Jet Ski and the expertise of lifeguards from Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue to help find the woman.
Crews eventually located the woman and pulled her from the ocean, unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, authorities said.
The woman was transported to Holy Cross Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
Local 10 News obtained cellphone video that showed first responders pulling the woman from the beach behind the Ocean Sky Hotel and Resort.
Rescue crews were seen placing the woman on a stretcher as paramedics worked to try and save her life.
Sky 10 flew over the scene just before 3:30 p.m. where police officers were talking to a person by a Jet Ski rental shack.
A witness told Local 10 News that he advised personnel not to rent it to the woman because she did not look stable. She also had a heavy backpack with her.
“She got on the Jet Ski and about two or three minutes out, she fell off,” said witness Vincent Thompson. “It was maybe 45 minutes before they found her.”
“We saw divers go in and give her CPR on the boat” said witness Steve Mann.
Authorities have not released information on the woman’s age or identity, nor have they said why she pulled off her lifejacket before jumping in the water.
3 p.m. live report