Bodycam footage captures officer saving man from falling off boat

    PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (WSVN) -- Bodycam video showcased the moments a Port St. Lucie officer’s quick thinking saved a man from danger on the dock.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department received a 911 call around 7:30 p.m., Monday that a man fell off his sailboat and was calling for help.

Officer Ryan Lodwick was the first to arrive at the scene at the Club Med Boat Ramps.

“I started scouring the boat ramps and going down the boat ramps, calling for anybody that may be in distress,” he said.

He said when he got the last ramp, he found the victim, 55-year-old Charles Dunn, hanging from one of the ropes on the dock.

“When I got to him, I could see he was struggling, and I was able to deploy this disc that we use for rescues to him in the water,” he said.

According to Lodwick, first responders from Port St. Lucie County Fire District also arrived to assist.

Once Dunn was out of the water, he told officers he was working on his sailboat when he fell off into the water and couldn’t get himself out.

He was able to cling to one of the ropes attached from the sailboat to the dock and dialed 911.

“The victim was in a lot of distress,” said Lodwick. “He had stated at one point in the hospital that he was ready to give up. He was struggling for maybe 20 or 30 minutes, and luckily, we got there in the time that we did.”

Lodwick is glad he was able to help; he says they all intentionally came out to an address on Pine Valley, but knowing his districts, he responded to this location, where the boats are located.

“I’m glad I was able to find him and I’m glad I made the right decision to come to this location,” said Lodwick. “Again, just knowing my district and knowing where these boats are, it was a calculated risk, and it worked out.”

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for hypothermia.