FCSO Rescue Elderly Man Stuck From a Fence Over a Canal

At approximately 2:00 am on August 14th, FCSO responded to an endangered missing person call in the area of Coconut Court. Officers learned that an elderly endangered male had wandered away from his residence hours prior and was last seen by his wife before she went to bed. The backdoor of the residence was found to be unsecured. The couple’s vehicle was still in the driveway.

The Watch Commander on-duty determined that additional resources were needed and contacted the Volusia Sheriff’s Office to request their “Air One” helicopter. FCSO K-9 Holmes and the Marine Unit were also assisting in the search. Deputies began the search throughout the neighborhood, including the saltwater canal behind their residence.

After making contact with several neighbors, one neighbor responded and told deputies that they discovered a male in their backyard near the canal. Deputies rushed to the location to find the missing elderly man. The man was described as being, “distressed and exhausted.” The man was holding on to the outside of a chain-link fence in front of the canal and dangling over the water.

Deputies rescued the man, as Fire/Rescue arrived to check on his overall physical well-being. The man was further described as being “extremely weak”, “barely [able to] walk” and needed assistance from deputies. VCSO’s Air One was canceled before it was dispatched.

Deputies described the situation as urgent and that it was unlikely the man could have held on to the fence much longer, which would have resulted in his falling into the saltwater canal.

“The compassion our deputies showed while rescuing this man without injury is commendable and a great example of how our team serves the community every day,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “The community coming together to help search for a missing person in the middle of the night is a great reminder of just how great Flagler County is and probably saved his life. I thank and commend everyone involved.”

The male was cleared by EMS and returned to his spouse at their residence. The FCSO will be following up with the male’s family to go over services available to help prevent this incident from happening again.

View Footage Here: https://youtu.be/HMLUtKc8zoM