Hightstown Boy Scouts Save Drowning Man In Chesapeake Bay

EAST WINDSOR, NJ —A couple of months ago, members of the Boy Scout Troop 5700 of Hightstown - East Windsor were on a week-long sailboat trip in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.

The group then received a message over the radio from the coast guard, advising all the boats in the water that there was an “individual in distress.”

“They said it was near Thomas Point Lighthouse. And we were actually right in that area,” recalls Scoutmaster Bruce Kramer.

“So the boys went up on the deck, to different parts of the sailboat, just making sure we had a set of eyes going in all directions.”

Soon, one of the Scouts saw something “shining in the distance” and the captain of the boat took them closer to the object.

“It was a jet ski bobbing up and down on the water like it was disabled. There was no one around. We radioed back to the coast guard where we were,” said Kramer.

“The coast guard asked us if we could get close to take a picture and text it to them. As we neared, we also found a backpack floating in the water. The scouts recovered that and helped relay the jet ski's registration number to the coast guard.”

The Scouts also relayed their coordinates and soon the coast guard and Maryland Police arrived, circling the area. They found the person 200 yards away from where the Scouts were.

“The authorities thanked the boys for their help. One coast guard even mentioned he was an Eagle Scout,” Kramer said.

At the time of the incident, all the boys on the boat were aged 14 to 16.

“A week later when we returned to the Marina, other boats were coming in and their captains came up and appreciated the boys,” Kramer said.

The Scoutmaster said the incident helped the boys put their scouting knowledge to a real-world experience. It was their training that prepared the boys to jump into action, said Kramer.

“Had we not been there to react, that whole thing could have went very differently,” Kramer said.

The Boy Scouts on the boat that day were Cash Colleton, Jack Conner, Adam Lewandowski, and Connor Suk. Accompanying them was Kramer and Captain Joe Musike.

All the teen go to Hightstown High School.

"I shared the story in the Boy Scout troop reports to a council. The council is trying to get the boys recognized,” Kramer said.

“But the boys are just very thrilled that they were able to do something and help out.”

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