Petty Officer Mike Zolzer in Seattle says it's unlikely the man could survive in the 45-degree water without a life jacket or wet suit.

It all began when two men suspected of stealing Sea-Doo personal watercraft from Brinnon got into more trouble on Dabob Bay, when they fell into the water and had to be rescued.

The chilly early morning temperatures apparently didn’t stop the friends from taking jet skis out on the water.

A short time later, around 6 a.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department got the call from a man living on Dabob Bay saying he'd heard cries for help.

Police arrived and found a 25-year-old man cold and wet. He told them he and his 28-year-old friend fell off their jet skis and his friend was still in the water.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, the Coast Guard, and boats from the Bangor Submarine Base all began a search for the second, missing man.

In the meantime, police found both jet skis still in the water. They retrieved them and discovered they were reported stolen from a nearby garage in Brinnon.

The man who made it to land was taken into custody for questioning, while the missing man’s clothing was found floating near Triton Bay.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department told us, “We’re doing the best thing right now to try and locate this individual and going house to house to where he’s been staying and trying to locate him.”

The men’s identities have not been released.

Submitted on 02/10/2005

Submitted by: Kyle White
Reference: www.komotv.com 2/9/2005

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Daniel said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
Stealing jetskis in the winter, even the kind of winter we had here in the endless nagging drizzle state, takes real stupidity. I've been hypothermic in that water on a 100 degree summer day.

Jack said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
A stupid criminal story, but one with a twist we haven't had before! I'd call this a keeper even if they hadn't stolen the jet skis. And I dare say tha they weren't properly dressed or had life jackets.

Charles said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I'll agree with Jack. If they stole them, they certainly hadn't been checked out on how to operate them...

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