Lifeguards describe ocean rescue after paraglider falls 500 feet from the sky
A paraglider is lucky to be alive after a nearly 500-foot fall into the ocean near Palm Beach, Florida, after his powered paraglider malfunctioned and led to a dramatic water rescue that was caught on camera.
"This one is probably a once-in-a-lifetime situation," Sara Williamson, a lifeguard with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, told ABC News of the incident at Ocean Reef Park in Riviera Beach on Friday.
The Riviera Beach Police Department shared stunning cell phone footage of the incident on social media Friday, showing the moment the paraglider, identified by officials as 52-year-old Brian Wenglarz, plummeted into the water off Singer Island.
According to the department's social media post, the paraglider first took off from Ocean Cay Park in Jupiter "and sailed south until the unplanned landing."
Witnesses saw the paraglider hit a gust of wind and lose control, which appeared to cause Wenglarz's parachute to partially collapse, sending him careening into the water below. In audio from a 911 call, a witness can be heard describing the fall to dispatchers and asking for paramedics immediately.
Lifeguards quickly paddled out on rescue boards after Wenglarz landed in the water, with other beachgoers also rushing to help.
"Within maybe seconds of him crashing into the water, I started running," Williamson recounted. "And [I] radioed my partner John Wendel."
Wendel, a Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue lifeguard, told ABC News, "She radioed, she said, 'Hey, can you see paraglider?' And all I could see was a speedboat with a parasail behind it and just couldn't see the victim. She radioed ahead because she knew that this [could be] bad."
Police rushed to the scene moments later, and body camera footage showed what remained of the damaged parachute and equipment after Wenglarz was pulled from the water.
The 52-year-old luckily suffered no major injuries, according to first responders.
"He was in surprisingly good shape -- in fact, it stunned me, and I was relieved," Wendel said.
Williamson added, "It was a perfect situation and it could have gone so much worse and I'm just happy with the outcome."
