Rescued boater accused of hijacking Sea Tow vessel after pushing captain overboard

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. —

A Sea Tow captain was reportedly pushed overboard by a boater he had just rescued from a burning vessel in Marco Island, leading to the suspect facing charges.

Nancy Cook, a local resident, expressed disbelief at the boater's actions.

"I don't know what his thinking process was, but somebody comes to help you, and then that's what you do," Cook said. She noted that everyone is typically friendly on the water and shared her own experience of having her boat towed before. "It seems like he wanted the boat captain's vessel," Cook added.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to a call at 7:16 p.m. about a boat burning in the Ten Thousand Islands area on Friday, with Sea Tow also responding.

FWC reported that the Sea Tow captain successfully rescued the boater, Ryan Deiter, and a dog from the burning boat. However, while waiting for law enforcement, Deiter is accused of pushing the captain overboard and fleeing in the $100,000 vessel. The captain and the Sea Tow boat were later found in separate locations along the water.

A Collier County sheriff's helicopter located Deiter naked in the mangroves along Snooks Channel. Nancy and William Cook, who live on Marco Island, said they have never witnessed anything like this before and generally feel safe in their community.

"Oh, my goodness, it was really disturbing to see that here," Nancy Cook said. "You know, the security here is wonderful. We always feel very safe. But I don't know exactly what happened with that. But I'm glad the sea boat captain was all right. That's, that's scary."

FWC is still investigating the cause of the fire on Deiter's boat. Deiter, a convicted felon, will face his third DUI charge in the past 10 years.

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