Chopper pilot saves scores of Keys swimmers from speeding boat; boater fails sobriety test

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helicopter pilot is being hailed a hero for saving potentially dozens of lives Saturday when he put his aircraft in between a large speeding boat and racers swimming in the ocean around a lighthouse off the Keys.

“That helo pilot? A rock star,” said Capt. Matt Bellinger, a longtime Florida Keys backcountry fishing guide who was operating a support boat for the annual Swim for Alligator Lighthouse 8-mile race in Islamorada.

Bellinger had a paramedic on board his boat in case any of the hundreds of swimmers and kayakers needed medical assistance, as he’s done for years since the race began in 2013.

If the FWC pilot, whom the agency identified as Lt. Chris Simons Tuesday, hadn’t reacted the way he did, Bellinger said a mass casualty disaster would have occurred.

“From our angle, he was the only thing stopping that boat from going across all of those people,” said Bellinger, who operates Bamboo Charters out of Islamorada.

According to the FWC arrest report of 55-year-old Thomas Michael Reichert, he was barreling his 36-foot, quadruple 300-horsepower engine boat toward the swimmers near the lighthouse while a U.S. Coast Guard boat and an FWC boat were chasing him.

Bellinger and another witness, Ed Freeling, also a Keys backcountry fishing guide, said the boats — and the helicopter — had sirens going to try to get Reichert to stop his vessel.

“It was blatant,” Bellinger said. The boats and helicopter were following Reichert’s boat about a quarter mile to a mile, and the helicopter physically had to block its course.

Reichert, who lives in Naples, referred questions about the incident to his attorney, Hal Schuhmacher, who said Wednesday that he could not comment yet because he has not seen all of the reports.

‘He did not want to give way’

“He just wanted to keep pressing his luck. He did not want to give way,” said Freeling, who operates Florida Keys Fun Fishing out of Robbie’s Marina on Lower Matecumbe Key.

Freeling shot cell phone video that showed the chopper and police boats pursuing Reichert’s vessel.

“I had never seen so many people come so close to being in danger,” said Freeling, 39.

Simons said Wednesday that he and his co-pilot, Tactical Flight Officer David Moss, were tasked that day with making sure boaters didn’t cross into the race course area. A few boats did get very close, but turned away once the crew informed them to change course over the helicopter’s PA system.

But the Yellowfin, which the agency said was operated by Reichert, didn’t heed the call and kept going toward the swimmers, Simons said.

“At that point, the captain was maybe 15 to 20 yards away from the swimmers, and I knew I had to do something. I pulled my helicopter right in front of the boat to block him from hitting any swimmers or kayakers,” he said. “The boat finally stopped, and the other law enforcement vessels were able to make contact with the captain.”

Chopper swoops down near boat

Bellinger said the chopper at first was flying low on the side of Reichert’s boat, and, when he didn’t stop, Simons flew across the vessel’s bow. Still not stopping, the pilot flew ahead of the vessel, turned around and lowered the helicopter about 20 feet off the water.

“They were almost nose to nose,” Bellinger said. “The boat finally came off plane and drifted about 30 feet from the helicopter’s rotors. That pilot saved the day. That boat would not stop and would have torn through the course.

Simons said of the close call:

“I’m grateful that we were able to get the boat to stop. A lot of people could have been hurt, and I’m thankful we were in the right place at the right time to prevent that.”

According to the FWC’s arrest report for Reichert, when Officer Jason Rafter and Officer Wayman Pearson boarded the Yellowfin, Reichert told them he had spiny lobsters on board. The report states the officers found 12 wrung tails, which is a second-degree misdemeanor. All lobsters caught on the water must be brought back to shore whole and alive.

While speaking with Reichert, Pearson said he smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, the report said.

Failed sobriety tests

Reichert failed several steps of a field sobriety test they conducted on his vessel, the FWC officers said in their report.

They cuffed him and took him to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office station at Plantation Key, where he refused to submit a breath test to detect alcohol. He was booked into county jail on a count each of operating a vessel in a safety or security zone after being warned not to — a third-degree felony, boating under the influence and possession of spiny lobster tails.

He was released from jail Sunday morning with an order to appear in court.

For his efforts, Simons, the pilot, earned recognition from his department.

“All too often, FWC officers respond to incidents where divers and swimmers are struck by vessels,” Maj. Alberto Maza, FWC South B Regional commander said in a statement. “Thankfully, from his unique vantage point in the air, our aviation officer was able to anticipate and prevent a greater tragedy.”

He also earned high praise from locals.

“It was a real bad ass scene to witness,” Freeling said. “He should be drinking in town for free.”