Then a father and son police duo and a Good Samaritan braved treacherous waters to rescue them, providing both a tale of heroism and a lesson for boaters ahead of the summer season in a state where boating accidents are on the rise.
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Luis Luzuriaga, a U.S. Army veteran from Fort Lauderdale, was visiting Central Florida on May 2 to see his two grown children, who live in Lake Nona. He decided to spend an afternoon on East Lake Tohopekaliga with his children, father, stepmother and another relative on that man’s boat.
After about an hour-and-a-half of fun, Luzuriaga noticed the boat was taking on water, which he said must have come from some sort of leak and soon began to flood the engine compartment.
He told his daughter to call 911 and had his family put on life jackets, then realized there were only four of them. One of his relatives could not swim, he added. He insisted his children, ages 18 and 21, and two older relatives take them.
His children haven’t yet had time to learn “what life is going to bring them. I already had it. I already got a taste of it,” Luzuriaga said. “It would be a shame that my kids will not make it compared to me. My kids are coming out first.”
Peg Phillips, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council in Clearwater, said she has seen similar incidents before. She said it’s always important for boaters to have enough life jackets on board for all passengers and to watch the weather, especially in Florida.
“Even though you checked the weather before you launched, check it check it again when you’re out on the water because conditions can change very quickly,” she said. “Pop-up storms are just very common here especially in the summertime.”
Phillips said the summer boating season, which officially kicks off with Memorial Day weekend, is the deadliest time of year for boaters in Florida.
Florida’s increasingly crowded waterways had 694 “reportable” boating accidents in 2025, up from 685 in 2024 and 659 in 2023, according to a recent state report.
As Luzuriaga and his family struggled on the sinking boat, Serafin Heredia, a retired Marine turned vampire romance author visiting a nearby lake marina, saw his friend, St. Cloud Police Officer Michael MacDonald, running towards him. He immediately knew something was wrong.
MacDonald told him that people were in distress out on the lake, but he had to wait for backup, as water rescue operations require at least two officers, one to perform the rescue and one to control the boat. He asked Heredia to go out ahead of him on his boat while he waited.
The ex-Marine took off, despite knowing about the warnings to stay out of the water due to the tornado warning.
“There were six lives on the line. That lake will take your life in the blink of an eye,” Heredia said. “There was no time to think. The only thing that went through my head was if you don’t get out there, people can die.”
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It took Heredia five minutes to reach the Luzuriagas. A rescue boat from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office arrived as well. Heredia saw two members of the family in the water and drifting away. He rescued one while deputies rescued the other.
Back on shore, MacDonald’s backup arrived — it was, to his surprise, his son, fellow officer Shayne MacDonald. It would be the first rescue the two had ever performed together. They traversed increasingly choppy waters but quickly reached the scene.
The two officers rescued the remaining four family members from the sinking boat.
Michael MacDonald said the water was the worst he’s ever had to navigate on a rescue mission. He was not optimistic about the Luzuriagas’ chances for survival had help not arrived quickly, given some members’ inability to swim, their distance from the shore and the weather conditions.
“There were at least three of them in their 70s, two miles from shore. There’s approximately six to seven thousand alligators in that lake,” he said. “The water where they were was anywhere between eight in 14 feet…the storm conditions were terrible…I don’t think it would have been a very good outlook.”
MacDonald added that the rescue was emotional for him as a father undertaking a mission alongside his son and working to save the lives of another father and his children. He said Luzuriaga’s words about putting his children’s lives before his own resonated.
“I know what he’s going through…I know how he felt. It’s an emotional moment, but you don’t think about it when you’re working. When you’re doing what you’re trained to do,” he said, taking a pause to gather his emotions. “My son and I worked hand in hand. You know, you don’t realize the dangers. You don’t realize what could have happened.”
Luzuriaga said he was grateful that law enforcement and Heredia saved his family. He also said he will be more cautious when going on other people’s boats from now on.
“Thanking God for sending our help, for sending our heroes to save us, because God knows what could have happened,” he said.
This week is National Safe Boating Week, and the U.S. Coast Guard issued its annual reminders on how to safely be on the water, including wearing life jackets, taking boat safety courses, getting your boat checked for free by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and avoiding alcohol while driving a boat. Alcohol is the “biggest contributing factor” to boating deaths, it said.
Alcohol or drugs played a role in 14 percent of the boating fatalities, the state report said.
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The News Service of Florida contributed to this story.