{"id":506320,"date":"2026-03-06T01:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T01:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/506320\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T01:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T01:53:08","slug":"inside-deadliest-catch-crews-desperate-attempts-to-save-todd-meadows-before-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/506320\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside ‘Deadliest Catch’ crew’s desperate attempts to save Todd Meadows before death"},"content":{"rendered":"

The crew aboard Captain Rick Shelford\u2019s Aleutian Lady fishing vessel did \u201ceverything they could\u201d to save \u201cDeadliest Catch\u201d star Todd Meadows before he tragically died on Feb. 25 at the age of 25<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Deckhand Trey John Green III told Page Six in an exclusive interview that the notoriously treacherous Bering Sea was \u201cflat\u201d and \u201ccalm\u201d that day, and the weather was \u201cactually good.\u201d He noted the incident occurred in the late afternoon while the sun was still out, so visibility was high.<\/p>\n

However, he said the water was \u201conly a degree or two above freezing\u201d and that the \u201coutside temperature was below freezing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green alleged that fellow deckhand Meadows ended up in the water following an incident with one of the pots \u2014 a baited, rigid trap used to catch shellfish \u2014 aboard the 127-foot boat.<\/p>\n

However, the US Coast Guard\u2019s investigation remains ongoing<\/a>, and authorities have not officially determined the exact circumstances surrounding Meadows\u2019 death.<\/p>\n

The crew aboard the Aleutian Lady fishing vessel did \u201ceverything they could\u201d to save \u201cDeadliest Catch\u201d star Todd Meadows. GoFundMe<\/p>\n

Meadows died on Feb. 25 at the age of 25 while the boat was on the Bering Sea. Todd Meadows\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Green, 30, told us that as soon as Meadows was overboard, he ran to the back of the boat and climbed on top of the pots to look for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see Todd. He\u2019s floating, he\u2019s swimming. He\u2019s got huge baby blue eyes. And I can still, probably from like 100 yards away, I could still see his eyes looking around,\u201d Green recalled.<\/p>\n

He said he kept his finger on Meadows while Shelford turned the boat around to get within a few feet of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cTodd\u2019s still alive, he\u2019s still swimming, he\u2019s still trying to hang in there. We get next to him, and then Steve [Porter] \u2014 Steve is the \u2014 every boat has a designated rescue swimmer for this exact kind of scenario. Steve was already geared up and was already in the diving suit,\u201d Green told us, adding that \u201cwhen Steve jumped in the water, the harness that was attached to the crane actually broke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deckhand Trey John Green III alleged that fellow deckhand Meadows ended up in the water following an incident with one of the pots. Trey John Green III\/Facebook<\/p>\n

The US Coast Guard\u2019s investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not officially determined the exact circumstances surrounding Meadows\u2019 death. Todd Meadows\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Green said other crew members then managed to get a life sling that\u2019s attached to the crane into the water.<\/p>\n

At this point, Green explained that Meadows was able to work with Porter and get himself into the sling. Green said Meadows was \u201chalfway up\u201d and \u201calmost back on the boat\u201d when he \u201cfell back into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second time we went to go lift him up, Todd was just \u2014 he was lifeless,\u201d Green lamented. \u201cHe didn\u2019t have any more \u2014 like I said, the first time, he was fighting, trying to get onto the sling. And then the second time, he was just \u2014 he was lifeless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Porter has not responded to Page Six\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n

According to Green, Meadows was in the water for only \u201cthree or four minutes\u201d before they successfully got him back on the boat, but by that point, he was already \u201cturning blue\u201d as foam emerged from his mouth and nose.<\/p>\n

According to Green, Meadows was in the water for only \u201cthree or four minutes\u201d before they successfully got him back on the boat. captainrick.shelford\/Facebook<\/p>\n

By that point, Green said he was already \u201cturning blue\u201d as foam emerged from his mouth and nose. Todd Meadows\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Still, Green said he and others began performing CPR \u201cright away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe finally brought him inside and continued CPR. The boat has an AED [machine] \u2026 it\u2019s basically a defibrillator. And we tried to use that, too, and it just \u2014 nothing was working. And finally, finally, after a half hour, 45 minutes of trying to save him, Captain came down and said, \u2018Guys, it\u2019s not gonna work,’\u201d Green recalled.<\/p>\n

An official cause of death has not yet been released. Notably, Meadows\u2019 mother, Angela Meadows, told TMZ that her son took a blow to the head<\/a> while working aboard the Aleutian Lady about a month before he died. He suffered a concussion and spent a week recovering at home in Washington before returning to work. It\u2019s unclear whether that head injury played any kind of role in his death.<\/p>\n

As for Green, he explained to us that the Aleutian Lady was about \u201c12 hours away\u201d from Dutch Harbor in Alaska when they exhausted all rescue efforts. He said the crew then made the difficult decision to wrap Todd\u2019s body in a tarp, place it in the freezer to preserve it and head back to town.<\/p>\n

Green told us that he and others began performing CPR \u201cright away.\u201d Trey John Green III\/Facebook<\/p>\n

They also used the defibrillator onboard, but \u201cnothing was working.\u201d Todd Meadows\/Facebook<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen somebody\u2019s life is on the line, it\u2019s kind of, like, all the training and everything \u2014 you try to do the best you can. And everybody did do \u2014 I just want to reiterate that \u2014 everybody did everything they could do,\u201d Green insisted before admitting that Todd was not wearing a lifejacket.<\/p>\n

He elaborated, \u201cOn this boat, we don\u2019t wear lifejackets. I don\u2019t really know what the reason is. I know it sounds silly because to somebody who\u2019s not [in this field], it does seem kind of crazy. Like, \u2018Why would somebody not wear a lifejacket?\u2019 But it\u2019s just, like, when you\u2019re working 18, 20 hours a day, it\u2019s just another piece of gear, and it\u2019s just a hassle. I don\u2019t really know why we don\u2019t wear them, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green described the experience as an \u201ceye-opener\u201d that put his job \u201cinto perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve thought, \u2018Oh, if I would go overboard at nighttime, you\u2019re dead.\u2019 I mean, at nighttime, you\u2019re dead. But during the day, you\u2019re like, \u2018Well, if I go overboard, they\u2019ll get me out, and I\u2019ll be OK,’\u201d he told us. \u201cBut this wasn\u2019t a prolonged rescue, you know? This was, like, everybody did exactly what they needed to do. We got him on the boat as fast as we possibly could; it just wasn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd finally, finally, after a half hour, 45 minutes of trying to save him, Captain [Rick Shelford] came down and said, \u2018Guys, it\u2019s not gonna work,’\u201d Green recalled. captainrick.shelford\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Green explained that the Aleutian Lady was about \u201c12 hours away\u201d from Dutch Harbor in Alaska when they exhausted all rescue efforts. GoFundMe<\/p>\n

Green went on to claim that \u201ceverything\u201d that happened on the boat that day was caught on camera by Discovery Channel<\/a>, which was on the tail end of filming for Season 22 of its popular reality series \u201cDeadliest Catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscovery has a deck cam that is like a stationary mounted deck camera that\u2019s recording 24\/7,\u201d Green claimed. \u201cSo that camera in itself caught everything. Rick, the captain, he also has his own cameras that are for the boat. Those also captured everything. And then also, during the whole rescue mission, the producer and the camera guy were also on deck filming the entire rescue. So there\u2019s multiple angles. I mean, they got everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

When reached for comment, a rep for Discovery Channel told Page Six, \u201cThis remains an active US Coast Guard investigation. We are assisting in their efforts and cannot comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the crew then made the difficult decision to wrap Meadows\u2019 body in a tarp, place it in the freezer to preserve it and head back to town. Todd Meadows\/Facebook<\/p>\n

An official cause of death has not yet been released. GoFundMe<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, a rep for the USCG told us that the organization is \u201cinvestigating the case to determine the causes and provide the necessary feedback to prevent similar accidents from reoccurring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Coast Guard Investigating Officer is currently working with a team of qualified marine casualty investigators to compile evidence. The Investigating Officer will then create an official account and timeline of the incident to determine: (1) the cause or contributing factors, (2) evidence of misconduct or negligence, (3) whether there was a failure of material, and (4) if any personnel from the Coast Guard or other government agency caused or contributed to the cause of the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis process is vital to drawing accurate conclusions and initiating any necessary corrective actions to prevent similar accidents and casualties from occurring in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rep said \u201cfindings will not be disclosed while the case is open\u201d and that the USCG \u201cdoes not assign a timeline for completing an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shelford has not responded to Page Six\u2019s requests for comment. Todd\u2019s family members have also been contacted.<\/p>\n

Meadows leaves behind three young sons and a devastated family, many of whom have posted heartbreaking tributes on social media. Todd Meadows\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Green described the enthusiasm Meadows brought to the craft as \u201crefreshing,\u201d adding, \u201cHe was just one of those guys that was just happy to be up there.\u201d GoFundMe<\/p>\n

Todd leaves behind three young sons and absolutely devastated loved ones, many of whom have posted heartbreaking tributes on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In his Facebook post announcing the shocking news, Shelford shared that Todd\u2019s \u201clove for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone\u2019s respect right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green echoed those sentiments, telling us, \u201cWe all go out there to make money and make a living, and all of us love it to a certain degree. But Todd \u2026 he was more excited about doing this, like, almost to the point where he would have done it for free. He was just one of those guys that was ecstatic to be up there, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

He described the enthusiasm Todd brought to the craft as \u201crefreshing,\u201d adding, \u201cHe was just one of those guys that was just happy to be up there. And it kind of just ignited \u2014 it just kind of reminded all of us why we were up there doing what we were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The crew aboard Captain Rick Shelford\u2019s Aleutian Lady fishing vessel did \u201ceverything they could\u201d to save \u201cDeadliest Catch\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7569,91,88,186,1861,10816,5658,604,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-506320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-celebrity-deaths","9":"tag-celebrity-news","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-exclusive","12":"tag-fishing","13":"tag-investigations","14":"tag-reality-stars","15":"tag-reality-tv","16":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}