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A 52-year-old man from Florida experienced a near-miraculous escape when his powered paraglider plummeted 500 feet into the ocean, yet he emerged without injuries, authorities confirmed.
The incident unfolded just before noon on Friday, close to Singer Island near Riviera Beach, as reported by the Riviera Beach Police Department. The dramatic descent was caught on video by onlookers using their cellphones.
Sarah Williamson, a lifeguard with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, recounted to WFLX-TV that she became concerned when she noticed the paraglider behaving erratically, likely due to a gust of wind.
“I immediately took action, radioing my partner,” she explained. “We quickly grabbed our rescue equipment and headed out in tandem to assist.”
Beachgoers watched in shock as the paraglider descended from 500 feet into the ocean off the coast of Singer Island, near Riviera Beach, on Friday, January 9, 2026. (Riviera Beach Police Department)
The lifeguards and nearby beachgoers immediately swam out to help the man, police said.
People swam out to help the uninjured paraglider, and brought him and his craft to shore, police said. (Riviera Beach Police Department)
Williamson said a snorkeler dove underwater and helped free the man from a tangle of paraglider lines.
“(The snorkeler) was a godsend because we did not have a mask, and he was able to get underwater and free the man while we secured him,” she told the outlet.
The paraglider, from Pompano Beach, had lifted off from Ocean Cay Park in Jupiter and sailed south until the 500-foot fall into the water, police said. (Riviera Beach Police Department)
Police said the rescuers brought the 52-year-old paraglider and his craft to shore. He was not injured.
The paraglider, from Pompano Beach, had lifted off from Ocean Cay Park in Jupiter and sailed south until the 500-foot fall into the water.
The man’s identity has yet to be released to the public.
Williamson said she was “quite blown away” to learn how far the paraglider fell before making the unplanned splashdown.
“Five hundred feet is an incredible thing to survive,” she said.
