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Distress calls on waterway turn out to be fake; Boater just needed gasoline

<i>Indian River County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource</i><br/>

By CNN Newsource

Published June 25, 2025 11:50 am

By Angela Rozier

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — A Vero Beach man is accused of falsely reporting an airboat accident and is facing charges.

According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, night staff units responded to the Blue Cypress Lake area after receiving a distress call from a boater claiming he had been in an airboat accident.

The caller reportedly told authorities that he had flipped his vessel, was injured, and that a passenger was also injured.

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Units from several agencies were mobilized, including IRCOS deputies, fire rescue, the IRCOS marine unit, FWC, and a United States Coast Guard Blackhawk helicopter from Florida’s west coast.

Once officials located the boater, they determined that there was no crash, no missing passenger, and no injuries.

The investigation revealed that the boater, identified as Derek Howard, had simply run out of gas and reportedly made up the story to get assistance quickly.

Howard faces charges for misuse of 911 and filing a false report to law enforcement.

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