Dramatic mobile phone footage has captured the terrifying moment a powered paraglider lost control and plunged nearly 500 feet into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of southern Florida.
A Sudden Descent into the Waves
The incident occurred last Friday above the sunny skies of Riviera Beach. The paraglider, identified as 52-year-old Brian Wenglarz, was soaring when the propeller noise from his motorised equipment abruptly cut out. Witnesses saw his kite begin to blow back and forth violently before he entered a corkscrewing descent, crashing into the water about 75 yards offshore from Ocean Reef Park on Singer Island.
Authorities now believe Wenglarz was struck by a sudden gust of wind, which caused him to lose control. This led to a partial collapse of his parachute. The heart-stopping video concludes with only the sight of his kite floating on the waves, leaving onlookers to fear the worst.
Lifeguards Spring into Action
The sight horrified beachgoers and prompted an immediate emergency response. Sara Williamson, a lifeguard with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, was stationed nearby and witnessed the entire event. She told media that powered paragliders are a rare sight on that stretch of coastline, so Wenglarz's flight had already caught her attention.
"Within maybe seconds of him crashing into the water, I started running," Williamson recounted. She radioed her partner, John Wendel, and sprinted toward the ocean. Wendel initially struggled to locate the victim amidst the waves and other watercraft.
Upon reaching the crash site, the lifeguards were fortuitously aided by a man who had been snorkelling nearby and was wearing a diving mask. "That was a godsend," Williamson said, "because we did not have a mask, and he was able to get underwater and free the man while we secured him." Wenglarz had become entangled in his equipment, a situation Williamson noted could have easily led to drowning.
A Miraculous Outcome and a Safety Reminder
Remarkably, Wenglarz was brought back to shore suffering only cuts and scrapes, a outcome the rescuers attribute to the fact he was wearing a helmet. By the time police arrived, body camera footage showed his damaged parachute and equipment on the beach. The drenched paraglider was seen walking ashore, complaining only about having lost his phone in the water.
"After such a catastrophic fall, I was very impressed that he was doing as well as he was," said Williamson, describing Wenglarz as being in a state of shock and adrenaline. Her partner, Wendel, expressed being both "stunned" and "relieved" by the positive outcome.
The lifeguard used the frightening ordeal to issue a crucial safety reminder for anyone participating in water-based or aerial activities near the coast. "Fly near a lifeguard, swim near a lifeguard," she advised. "Always be near safety. Seconds could make all the difference in emergencies."
