A US Coast Guard Auxiliary crew, in conjunction with the Fire Department’s of Ossining and Irvington, N.Y. and the New York City Police Aviation Unit, rescued three people from the dark, cold waters of the Hudson River Saturday night, July 23, 2005.

A family outing, which included two children, aged 12 and 14, took their Jet Ski for a ride in the Hudson River. At approximately 8pm, a line, which was not properly secured in the Jet Ski, was accidentally sucked into the jet drive, causing the Jet Ski to lose all propulsion. Fortunately for the family, they brought along a handheld VHF marine radio and began to call for help.

Phil Porteus, an "off-duty" Auxiliarist, was monitoring an emergency scanner when he picked up on the call. After determining that the call was in fact a bona fide call for assistance, and it was a water rescue in his normal patrol area, Auxiliarist Porteus, activated the rest of his dispersed and off-duty crew and contacted Coast Guard Sector New York for authorization to launch. The Auxiliary facility, "Launch 5", and crew was underway by 9:30pm.

Thirty-five minutes after hearing the call for help, on a Saturday Night, “Launch 5” began what is called a barrier shoreline search pattern which was supervised by fellow crewmember, Auxiliarist Bill Smith. Crewmember Phil Porteus spotted a faint light by the infamous Sing Sing Prison Rocks, wherein Coxswain Greg Porteus immediately instituted a "man overboard" protocol. Assisting with the rescue was a NYPD Helicopter, which was able to use its altitude and high-powered searchlight to illuminate the three jet skiers. Again, to their credit, our jet skiers were all wearing their PFD's and had a working light with them.

"The continuous training that we receive from the Coast Guard enabled us to rescue these people as quickly as we did. This is another example of how important it is to be able to coordinate with outside agencies,” said Auxiliarist Greg Porteus of “Launch 5” All three jet skiers were transported safely back to waiting emergency crews of Ossining and Irvington Fire Departments.

"America’s Volunteer Lifesavers is not just another catchy slogan, it is true", claimed Coxswain Porteus.