EVERETT, WA – Shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday evening, the Everett Fire and Police Department were dispatched to a water rescue for a report of a capsized Tulalip Police Department Fisheries vessel with two occupants in the water somewhere off Jetty Island.
As search and rescue efforts were underway, further information was obtained that the Tulalip Police Department Fisheries vessel was assisting another vessel when a large rogue wave hit their boat. Naval Station Everett had initial radio contact with the occupants on the boat, but they could not contact them after the initial radio transmissions.
Rescuers, navigating stormy weather and heavy seas full of debris, actively searched the area to include searching Jetty Island on foot, looking for any signs of the missing vessel and its occupants. At 11:10 p.m., rescuers located an overturned vessel, but they did not find any occupants.
One patient was located by a private vessel around 11:45 p.m. in the area of Hat Island. The patient, a 39yo officer with the Tulalip Police Department, was in a hypothermic state, but he could communicate with rescuers. The private vessel transported the patient to the Tulalip Bay Marina to meet Tulalip Bay Fire for patient care and transport to Providence Regional Medical Center. The patient was wearing a life jacket at the time of his rescue.
Agencies continue to search for the second occupant of the Tulalip Police Department Fisheries vessel. The missing male is a 29yo officer with the Tulalip Police Department.
Agencies who are assisting with the search include Everett Fire Department, Everett Police Department, Tulalip Police Department, United States Coast Guard, Naval Station Everett, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Marysville Fire District, Snohomish County Fire District #22, Tulalip Bay Fire, Camano Island Fire and Rescue, and the Port of Everett.
Updates will be provided as they become available.
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