Coast Guard rescues wanted man seconds before powerful wave capsizes boat, video shows

On Friday, US Coast Guard officials rescued a man from the mouth of the Columbia River after a powerful wave washed over the yacht he was on.

Police have been looking for 35-year-old Jericho Labonte since Wednesday after authorities said he left a dead fish at the Astoria, Oregon home where the classic 1985 film The Goonies was filmed.

According to Astoria Police Chief Stacey Kelly, an acquaintance alerted authorities to a video he posted on social media of him leaving a fish in a house and then dancing around the house. It is believed that the fish was caught locally because the man reported taking it on a fishing trip.

Kelly explained that Labonte, from Victoria, British Columbia, is also wanted in British Columbia for felony, disorderly conduct and non-compliance with cases filed last fall.

Video and images posted to the Coast Guard’s social media accounts showed the daring rescue operation, during which the agency said two Coast Guard crews received a distress call from a P/C Sandpiper. Petty Officer Michael Clarke said the call came in around 10 a.m. local time.

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FILE - The house featured in Steven Spielberg

FILE – The house featured in Steven Spielberg’s The Goonies is viewed in Astoria, Oregon, May 24, 2001.
(AP Photo/Stepanie Firth, file)

“After notifying observers in the Columbia River sector who launched motor lifeboats from STA Cape Disappointment, the crews arrived on the scene to find the vessel floundering in the surf! The surf made the boat rescue dangerous, so the crew decided to lower the rescue swimmer and have the owner go into the water for the rescue,” the Pacific Northwest Coast Guard tweeted.

In this photo provided by the US Pacific Northwest Coast Guard, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer reaches a boat just before a giant wave swept the boat at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon on Friday, February 3, 2023.  Newly minted coast Guardsman-rescuer saved the life of the pilot of the yacht.

In this photo provided by the US Pacific Northwest Coast Guard, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer reaches a boat just before a giant wave swept the boat at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon on Friday, February 3, 2023. Newly minted coast Guardsman-rescuer saved the life of the pilot of the yacht.
(AET1 Kyle Turcott/USCG Pacific Northwest via AP)

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In this photo provided by the US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, a Coast Guard ship (left) attempts to rescue a yacht in distress at the mouth of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington on Friday, February 3, 2023.

In this photo provided by the US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, a Coast Guard ship (left) attempts to rescue a yacht in distress at the mouth of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington on Friday, February 3, 2023.
(AET1 Kyle Turcott/USCG Pacific Northwest via AP)

As Labonte entered the water, the boat capsized, but the rescue swimmer, Squad Petty Officer 1st Class Walton of Greenville, South Carolina, was able to pull him out safely. After the incident, he was flown back to Coast Guard Base Astoria, where an ambulance service was waiting to evaluate and treat him for mild hypothermia.

In this photo provided by the US Pacific Northwest Coast Guard, Coast Guard personnel help rescue a swimmer from a rescue helicopter after he was rescued from the mouth of the Columbia River after his boat was capsized by a giant wave on Friday, Feb. 3.  2023, Coast Guard Base Astoria, Oregon.

In this photo provided by the US Pacific Northwest Coast Guard, Coast Guard personnel help rescue a swimmer from a rescue helicopter after he was rescued from the mouth of the Columbia River after his boat was capsized by a giant wave on Friday, Feb. 3. 2023, Coast Guard Base Astoria, Oregon.
(AET1 Kyle Turcott/USCG Pacific Northwest via AP)

Labonte was taken to the hospital, and the facility had already released Labonte when they saw videos and photos from the Coast Guard. Police were still looking for Labonte on Friday evening, and the owner of the yacht reported the hijacking on Friday.

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“It’s been a really weird 48 hours,” Kelly said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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