(CBS DETROIT) – A mail boat rescued a Florida man Monday night who was reportedly trying to swim from Canada to Detroit.
A crew member of JW Westcott received a report of a person swimming across the Detroit River from Windsor to Detroit.
They launched the U.S. mailboat J.W. Westcott II and began searching for the swimmer in the area of ​​the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park Development.
JW Westcott Company
“At approximately 11:00 p.m., Seaman James Sharp observed a man swimming in a life preserver that had been thrown to him by someone on the shore in Windsor,” the J.W. Westcott Company said in a news release. “The Westcott maneuvered alongside where James and Captain Neil Schultheiss lifted the man onto the deck of the mail boat.”
After rescuing the man from the water, he told crew members that he was an American citizen from Florida and that he was trying to return to the US.
Crew members said the man appeared disoriented and intoxicated. He was cold, but reportedly had no physical injuries.
The Florida man was transferred to the Detroit fireboat, taken to shore and then transferred to an ambulance.
The J. W. Westcott Company delivers mail to freighters traveling the Detroit River. The crew is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and in addition to deliveries, the crews have assisted in many rescues on the river.
This year JW Westcott celebrates its 150th season.
