NAPLES, Maine — Two young men from Ohio were saved by a pair of good Samaritans on Tuesday after their canoe capsized in Brandy Pond, police said.
Roberta Sorensen had called 911 about 9:15 p.m. to report that two men were yelling for help in Brandy Pond and could not hold on much longer, according to Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce.
While Sorensen was calling for help, her husband, Edward, got into his rowboat to search for the individuals and located two men, Chaz Price, 19, and Josh Garrison, 20, in the water several hundred feet off shore near a capsized canoe, Joyce said.
Sorensen was able to get both men into his boat and brought them to a nearby dock where Naples rescue personnel were waiting, Joyce said.
While the men weren’t seriously injured, Joyce said, their canoe capsized accidentally. The sheriff said one man was not wearing a life vest, but he did not specify which one.
“The subject without the life vest was clinging on to the other, but their weight was too much for the one vest, and they were getting very tired,” said Joyce.
The sheriff said that had it not been for the actions of the Sorensens, it’s possible both Price and Garrison could have drowned.
“They are true good Samaritans whose actions make a positive difference in all of our lives,” Joyce said.
