Video captured the moment both officials and a neighbor rescued a woman found stuck in the mangroves of the St. Lucie River. Kelly Marie Catrambone was rescued Tuesday night after a nearly 12-hour search for the 37-year-old. Catrambone was last seen on Friday before being officially reported missing on Monday. WPBF 25 News spoke with both the Port St. Lucie Police Department and Herb Yancy, the neighbor who helped rescue Catrambone. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsAccording to the PSLPD, several of Catrambone’s belongings were found on Tuesday morning near the 700 block of Northeast Emerson Street, along the St. Lucie River.The police department deployed its dive team, marine unit, canines and more around 10:30 a.m. to begin searching the area. The belief was that Catrambone might have entered the water. After searching until dark, the search was postponed until morning. However, Master Sgt. Dominick Mesiti said a handful of officers stayed on scene. “About 9 p.m. last night, one of our drone operators was operating the drone and could faintly hear a woman screaming for help. They were having a hard time determining where the scream was coming from. Simultaneously, we also had a citizen call 911 saying the same thing,” Mesiti said. Officers quickly jumped into action and noticed a boat docked nearby. The boat belongs to Herb Yancy, who had just been watching the news and knew of the search. “They came around the house and to the front door, didn’t get a chance to knock, I opened up the door, said, ‘Hey guys.’ The first thing they said was, ‘You got a boat?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ So we did, and it was really fast, just like that,” Yancy told WPBF. Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.The officers got on Yancy’s pontoon, and he drove them around to where they could hear the faint calls for help. “We could hear a little whimper, and over the course of probably 20-30 minutes, we heard that whimper three or four times, and each time we got a little closer to her. The whole time she was moving closer to the edge of the island, and one of the policemen jumped in the water and all brought her aboard,” Yancy said.Catrambone was found approximately two to three hundred feet across the river from where officials were originally looking for her. He said the mangroves made it impossible for officers or drones to see her. “She was stuck within about two feet of water within the mangroves, like deep in the mangroves, and in that muddy, kind of mucky water. She was just weak, dehydrated, and couldn’t move,” he said. He said it’s still unclear how long she was out there and why she went into the water. Catrambone was brought to shore and taken to the hospital, where she’s recovering. Mesiti and Yancy said they’re both shocked and thankful she’s OK. “We were not anticipating a positive outcome. We were prepared for the worst, so it was a relief that she was actually out there still alive,” Mesiti said. “My thoughts were this isn’t gonna be good, so we were all thrilled to see that she was still alive,” Yancy said. Yancy noted how dangerous the river can be, specifically because of the alligators. “We see a lot of gators like a Tarzan movie,” he said. “She’s very lucky, very lucky. Depending on whether it’s just a day in the water, a few hours in the water — she’s very lucky to be alive,” Mesiti added. Catrambone’s following sent WPBF 25 News the following statement:”Our family would like to offer our deepest gratitude to the Port St. Lucie Police Department, including the detectives, search and rescue divers, drone team, and K9 officers, for their quick and extraordinary efforts in locating and rescuing our sister. We are incredibly thankful for their professionalism, teamwork, and compassion during such a frightening time. Thanks to their swift response, our sister is now safe and recovering well. We cannot express how grateful we are for the heroes who worked tirelessly to bring her home.”
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —
Video captured the moment both officials and a neighbor rescued a woman found stuck in the mangroves of the St. Lucie River.
Kelly Marie Catrambone was rescued Tuesday night after a nearly 12-hour search for the 37-year-old. Catrambone was last seen on Friday before being officially reported missing on Monday.
WPBF 25 News spoke with both the Port St. Lucie Police Department and Herb Yancy, the neighbor who helped rescue Catrambone.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
According to the PSLPD, several of Catrambone’s belongings were found on Tuesday morning near the 700 block of Northeast Emerson Street, along the St. Lucie River.
The police department deployed its dive team, marine unit, canines and more around 10:30 a.m. to begin searching the area. The belief was that Catrambone might have entered the water.
After searching until dark, the search was postponed until morning. However, Master Sgt. Dominick Mesiti said a handful of officers stayed on scene.
“About 9 p.m. last night, one of our drone operators was operating the drone and could faintly hear a woman screaming for help. They were having a hard time determining where the scream was coming from. Simultaneously, we also had a citizen call 911 saying the same thing,” Mesiti said.
Officers quickly jumped into action and noticed a boat docked nearby. The boat belongs to Herb Yancy, who had just been watching the news and knew of the search.
“They came around the house and to the front door, didn’t get a chance to knock, I opened up the door, said, ‘Hey guys.’ The first thing they said was, ‘You got a boat?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ So we did, and it was really fast, just like that,” Yancy told WPBF.
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
The officers got on Yancy’s pontoon, and he drove them around to where they could hear the faint calls for help.
“We could hear a little whimper, and over the course of probably 20-30 minutes, we heard that whimper three or four times, and each time we got a little closer to her. The whole time she was moving closer to the edge of the island, and one of the policemen jumped in the water and all brought her aboard,” Yancy said.
Catrambone was found approximately two to three hundred feet across the river from where officials were originally looking for her. He said the mangroves made it impossible for officers or drones to see her.
“She was stuck within about two feet of water within the mangroves, like deep in the mangroves, and in that muddy, kind of mucky water. She was just weak, dehydrated, and couldn’t move,” he said.
He said it’s still unclear how long she was out there and why she went into the water. Catrambone was brought to shore and taken to the hospital, where she’s recovering.
Mesiti and Yancy said they’re both shocked and thankful she’s OK.
“We were not anticipating a positive outcome. We were prepared for the worst, so it was a relief that she was actually out there still alive,” Mesiti said.
“My thoughts were this isn’t gonna be good, so we were all thrilled to see that she was still alive,” Yancy said.
Yancy noted how dangerous the river can be, specifically because of the alligators.
“We see a lot of gators like a Tarzan movie,” he said.
“She’s very lucky, very lucky. Depending on whether it’s just a day in the water, a few hours in the water — she’s very lucky to be alive,” Mesiti added.
Catrambone’s following sent WPBF 25 News the following statement:
“Our family would like to offer our deepest gratitude to the Port St. Lucie Police Department, including the detectives, search and rescue divers, drone team, and K9 officers, for their quick and extraordinary efforts in locating and rescuing our sister. We are incredibly thankful for their professionalism, teamwork, and compassion during such a frightening time. Thanks to their swift response, our sister is now safe and recovering well. We cannot express how grateful we are for the heroes who worked tirelessly to bring her home.”