Members of the US Coast Guard rescued a man from the mouth of the Columbia River on Friday after the yacht he was on was capsized by a huge wave.
Police had been searching for Jericho Labonte, 35, since Wednesday after authorities said he left a dead fish at the Astoria, Oregon, home featured in the classic 1985 film “The Goonies.”
According to Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly, an acquaintance alerted authorities to a video he posted on social media of himself leaving the fish at the house and then dancing around the property. The fish is believed to have been caught locally because a person reported taking it fishing.
Kelly explained that Labonte, of Victoria, British Columbia, is also wanted in British Columbia on criminal harassment, mischief and noncompliance cases from last fall.
Videos and images posted to Coast Guard social media accounts showed the daring rescue, during which the agency said two Coast Guard aircrews had received an emergency transmission from P/C Sandpiper. Warrant Officer Michael Clark said the call came in around 10 a.m. local time.
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FILE – The house featured in Steven Spielberg’s film “The Goonies” is seen in Astoria, Oregon, May 24, 2001.
(AP Photo/Stepanie Firth, File)
“After notifying watchmen in the Columbia River sector that motor lifeboats were launched from STA Cape Disappointment, aircrews arrived on scene to find the vessel reeling in the waves. The waves caused the rescue boat to It was dangerous so the crew decided to lower the rescue swimmer and have the owner enter the water for rescue,” the Coast Guard Pacific Northwest tweeted.
In this photo provided by the US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer reaches a boat just before a tidal wave rolled the boat into the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon on Friday February 3, 2023. The rescue swimmer on duty saved the life of a man who was piloting the yacht.
(AET1 Kyle Turcotte/US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest via AP)
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In this photo provided by the US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, a Coast Guard vessel, left, attempts to salvage a yacht in distress at the mouth of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington state on Friday February 3, 2023.
(AET1 Kyle Turcotte/US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest via AP)
As Labonte entered the water, the boat capsized, but the rescue swimmer, Petty Officer 1st Class Walton, of Greenville, South Carolina, was able to safely recover him. After the incident, he was taken back to the Astoria Coast Guard Base where EMS was waiting to evaluate and treat him for mild hypothermia.
In this photo provided by the US Pacific Northwest Coast Guard, Coast Guard personnel help remove a swimmer from a rescue helicopter after he was pulled from the mouth of the Columbia River after his boat capsized by a giant wave on Friday, February 3. 2023, at the Astoria Coast Guard Base, Oregon.
(AET1 Kyle Turcotte/US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest via AP)
Labonte was transported to a hospital, and the facility had already released Labonte by the time they viewed the Coast Guard videos and photos. Police were still looking for Labonte on Friday night and the yacht owner reported the boat stolen on Friday.
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“It’s been a really weird 48 hours,” Kelly said.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
