Arrest Made After Man’s Childish Jet Ski Tantrum Almost Drowns a Kayaker
A recent incident involving a jet skier in Florida has gone viral after being captured on video and shared on TikTok. The victim, who was peacefully fishing in the Intracoastal Waterway, was disrupted when a jet skier sped past him, creating a dangerous wake that overturned his kayak. This prompted a confrontation between the two, during which the jet skier, identified as Philip Bunch, allegedly turned his craft back toward the victim, further jeopardizing his safety. Although the victim survived, his expensive camera equipment was lost in the water.
The encounter garnered millions of views online, and shortly after, Bunch was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief and battery, having a history of prior arrests including boating violations and drug trafficking. The incident serves as a cautionary tale about safety on the water, highlighting the importance of wearing a life vest.
A childish tantrum landed one man in jail after a video of the incident was published and went viral.
The bit of aquatic road rage was captured on the body-worn camera of the victim and uploaded to the TikTok account of coastalfloats on October 27. It has since gained millions of views.
The encounter, which appears to have taken place in a Florida section of the Intracoastal Waterway, began as the victim was fishing the relatively calm stretch of water.
Video shows a jet skier approaching at a high rate of speed as a voiceover explains the situation.
“Fishing this point and this guy decided to run right on top of me,” coastalfloats’ video states.
The victim throws up his hands in confusion and frustration as the jet ski blows by him, throwing a nasty wake and scaring off any potential fish in the immediate area. The jet skier turned around and the confrontation began.
The jet skier can be seen on the video approaching the kayak from the back while gesturing and shouting something the camera doesn’t pick up.
The victim demands to know why the jet ski’s operator ran it so fast and so close to his kayak. He tells the man off for ruining his fishing spot, and it was at this point that the confrontation turned criminal.
The man on the jet ski, who had circled the kayak, cut towards it and quickly turned away, throttling his watercraft and violently churning the water.
The aerated and disturbed water turned the kayak over and dumped the victim into an incredibly dangerous situation. While the victim survived, the possibility of drowning is always present in the water and grows exponentially in situations like this.
And while the victim may have lived, his expensive camera equipment didn’t survive the plunge.
“He destroyed a lot of my equipment,” coastalfloats’ video states, “the Sony camera I used to take these was the biggest loss of many.”
The user also warned people to “wear your lifevest.”
You can watch the viral encounter for yourself below:
@coastalfloatsSo this happened today. Guy left me bobbing in the intercoastal. Wear your lifevest!♬ original sound – coastalfloats
The suspect’s little tantrum is likely going to cost him in a big way, it seems.
According to Men’s Journal, Philip Bunch was arrested and put in the Nassau County Jail sometime in the days following the incident after users identified him as the man on the jet ski.
Bunch has been released, but is charged with felony criminal mischief and battery.
The suspect reportedly has numerous arrests on his records, including boating violations and methamphetamine trafficking.
The lesson here is clear: If you’re going to enter the water, wear a life jacket. If you’re going to act a fool on the water, it’s best to simply stay home.
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