Seventh Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office
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| Press Release | Date: April 17, 2006 Contact: Ricardo Castrodad (787) 510-7923 |
U.S. Coast Guard rescues man trying to elude police |
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A U.S. Coast Guard response boat crew rescued a man at 1:15 a.m. today who jumped into the San Juan Bay from a Cataño pier while attempting to elude municipal police. William Vega, 23, a San Juan resident, was reported to the Sector San Juan Joint Rescue Sub Center as going underwater twice as he tried to swim across the bay. Vega was discovered earlier by municipal police trespassing into a local church.After receiving initial notification from the Cataño Municipal Police of a person in the water, Sector San Juan Joint Rescue Sub Center immediately launched a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station San Juan that arrived on-scene and spotted Vega struggling to stay afloat. The crew of the response boat recovered Vega safely from the water and transferred him at 1:30 a.m. to the municipal police waiting at the Cataño pier. "We are glad to be able to rescue Mr. William Vega from drowning as well as assist the Cataño Municipal Police in detaining him," said Lt. Cmdr. James Langevin, Chief, Sector San Juan Joint Rescue Sub Center. "There are many dangers associated with swimming in the San Juan Bay at night, and the crew of our response boat did a great job in conducting a safe rescue. Mr. Vega or a crew member could have easily been hurt during a night rescue in the San Juan Bay." ### |
The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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