A Cape Coral man has been arrested after authorities say he recklessly drove a boat, throwing one of his passengers into the water.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Darren Caster, 54, was driving a boat under the influence.
It stemmed from a call the FWC overheard on Saturday at around 5 p.m. regarding a boating accident near Picnic Island.
The caller stated that they witnessed a 25-foot vessel with nine people on board operating recklessly, and they watched as one occupant was thrown from the vessel.
Initially, the vessel continued operating without stopping to assist the ejected passenger.
The caller described the vessel and then began to assist the person in the water. A short while later, the 25-foot vessel returned to the scene and recovered their ejected passenger.
As the caller witnessed this, they informed responders of the location, the direction of travel for the 25-foot boat, and expressed their concern that the operator might be impaired.
FWC officers quickly found the vessel at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River and conducted a stop.
After confirming the ejected passenger was uninjured, the operator was determined to be impaired and was arrested for boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The FWC is actively investigating and will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Caster was released Sunday morning.