Chesapeake Bay Turns Deadly: Man dies trying to save his hat that blew into the South River
Boating has been rough the first couple weekends of June on the Chesapeake Bay.
NOW: White caps on the Chesapeake at Matapeake. pic.twitter.com/DZtu6s0P8q
— MD NRP (@MDNRPolice) June 8, 2016
Maryland Natural Resources Police rescued two capsized boats.
3 rescued Sunday on Curtis Bay by NRP, @BaltimorePolice. High winds, chop kept 1st responders busy. pic.twitter.com/ykfmMn7RSk
— MD NRP (@MDNRPolice) June 13, 2016
2 rescued, uninjured, Friday from capsized boat on Severn River. NRP & @AACoFD working together. pic.twitter.com/PogfA1mgXR
— MD NRP (@MDNRPolice) June 11, 2016
But all turned out well this weekend. That wasn’t the case a week earlier.
Joseph Vincent Rossi, 47, of Edgewater just wanted his hat back. He’d rented a boat to take his family on a weekend ride around the Chesapeake Bay. They were on their way home, running up the South River, when the wind caught his hat and sent it flying into the water.
Maryland NRP say he jumped in to retrieve the hat. But the boat kept going with his wife and two elementary school aged children aboard, leaving Rossi behind. The wife, who didn’t know how to operate the 25-foot boat, flagged down another boat. The two men caught up to the runaway and one of the rescuers jumped aboard, stopping it. They then turned around to look for Rossi, but couldn’t find him.
Emergency personnel found his body the next day.
Rossi had forgotten to put the boat in neutral before he leapt off the boat to save his hat.
Police ID deceased boater who went overboard to grab his hat. https://t.co/huNxnsI6wYpic.twitter.com/aYVVackqW4
— Capital Gazette (@capgaznews) June 6, 2016
Two fishermen also went missing that weekend:
Divers arriving at Point of Rocks to search for 2 men missing when fishing boat capsized on the Potomac. pic.twitter.com/0hQQ6WORlI
— MD NRP (@MDNRPolice) June 5, 2016
Another @MDNRPolice boat loading up to go out. Family of one missing boater tells @fox5dc they are heartbroken. pic.twitter.com/uSBgyGVDFY
— Van Applegate (@VBagate) June 5, 2016
Divers from @MDNRPolice entering the water near Point of Rocks to search for two missing boaters. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/EsNwbf9bVr
— Van Applegate (@VBagate) June 5, 2016
As the sun sets, one @MDNRPolice boat leaves the ramp, and other comes in. Continuing the search for two boaters. pic.twitter.com/jQfeSOGn9b
— Van Applegate (@VBagate) June 5, 2016
The bodies of the men were found later in the week. Five people have died so far in the 2016 boating season on the upper and middle Chesapeake Bay.
