Fort Lauderdale Water Emergency: What We Know So Far

A woman was pulled from the ocean off Fort Lauderdale and was found in cardiac arrest after jumping from a personal watercraft, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials. She was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in critical condition, and officials had not publicly identified her in the available reports.

Officials said the call first came in as a report of a person in distress offshore. According to reports citing investigators, the woman removed her lifejacket, jumped into the water, and did not resurface. Witnesses and detectives told reporters she was later found underwater in cardiac arrest.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue and other responders were dispatched to the scene, reflecting a high-priority rescue response for a person reported in distress offshore. The units listed in dispatch records indicate emergency medical and rescue resources were sent quickly to the incident.

Dispatch records show there have been seven similar cardiac arrest incidents in Dania Beach over the past six months. That does not establish a connection to this case, but it shows this type of emergency has repeatedly required response in the area.

Authorities had not released the woman’s identity, and available reports said no further details were immediately known about how long she had been underwater or whether her condition changed after hospital transport. An investigation appears to be ongoing, and officials are expected to release more information if her condition or the circumstances of the incident develop.

Day.News will continue to update this story as officials release more information.

Related: Cardiac Arrest Draws Emergency Response to 4169 SW 50th St in Dania Beach