Father and son rescued from Everglades after ATV becomes stranded

A dramatic rescue in the Florida Everglades was caught on camera

(LILAMAX)- A dramatic rescue in the Florida Everglades was caught on camera as a father and son were hoisted to safety after becoming stranded in a remote wildlife preserve.

Body-camera video shows deputies spotting the pair after they called 911 for help, waving their hands to signal the aviation unit overhead.

“My 4-wheeler ran out of gas, we got stuck in a mud hole,” the father told dispatchers.
With daylight fading, he explained they were stranded far from help — “almost out of water… no food and no water, no flashlight.” He said they used up the remaining fuel trying unsuccessfully to escape the thick mud.

At one point, he told the operator that his son had even lost his shoes in the mud.
“So we’re barefoot,” he said, adding they had started a fire to stay warm as night — and wildlife — approached.
“The sun’s going down and the alligators are hungry, buddy.”

Their small fire helped guide the Collier County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit to their location. Video shows deputies lowering a rescue line and pulling the father and son to safety just before sunset.

“We got the call about 30 minutes before sunset,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said. “And when the sun goes down in the middle of the Everglades, you need to get people out.”

Both the father and son were unharmed after the rescue.