MAN STRANDED ON JET SKI RESCUED AT PADDY’S POND

Just after 7:10 p.m. on Saturday (May 9th), firefighters with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department (SJRFD) were dispatched to a water rescue call at Paddy’s Pond off the Trans Canada Highway.

Upon arrival, firefighters located a male stranded on his jet ski after debris reportedly became lodged in the motor, causing the watercraft to become inoperable.

As part of the department’s standard response for water rescue incidents, a rescue boat was also dispatched to the scene. Once the rescue boat arrived, firefighters quickly launched the craft and travelled out onto the water to reach the stranded man.

By the time firefighters reached him, the individual had drifted closer to the shoreline. Crews safely assisted the man and towed the disabled jet ski back to shore at the Forestry Depot on Paddy’s Pond Road.

An SJRFD Platoon Chief confirmed the man was not injured, although he was cold after being stranded on the water. Paramedics with NL Health Services assessed the male at the scene before releasing him shortly afterward.