Man rescues girl, dies after being swept away in current off North Captiva Island

Published: Updated:
FILE: U.S. Coast Guard response boat. (Credit: Wikipedia/FILE)
FILE: U.S. Coast Guard response boat. (Credit: Wikipedia/FILE)

A man goes to rescue a little girl and gets caught in a strong current off of North Captiva Island Tuesday afternoon. By the evening, his body was found.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Thomas Zakrewski, 46.

LCSO says a family was walking along a sandbar on the shore of North Captiva when the mother, who was walking ahead of her family, glanced backward. She saw that her husband, Zakrewski, and 8-year-old child were struggling in the water.

Immediately, the mother jumped into the water and Zakrewski managed to pass the child to her. Zakrewski continued to struggle and disappeared into the water, according to LCSO.

The Upper Captiva Fire Rescue District received the call just before 6 p.m. and started a search. The United States Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Sanibel Fire Rescue District and LCSO assisted in the search, according to the LCSO press release.

Late Tuesday night, LCSO released the following in a Facebook press release:

“The search for the missing male has ended as his body has been located.”

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.