Drone helps officials rescue stranded boaters in Pulaski County

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 8:50 AM

By Shelby Lopez

A drone helped rescue two stranded boaters on the Tippecanoe River in Pulaski County on Sunday.

According to a post by the Winamac Volunteer Fire Department, their team was called about a stranded boat that was stuck on the river around 7:46 p.m. on July 12. The report stated there were two occupants on the boat and that one of the occupants had limited mobility.

Officers from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and deputies from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office also responded to the rescue. Upon arrival, a crew member went to the nearest access site to launch a boat. A second crew sent out the department’s drone. The stranded boat was located within two minutes of crews sending the drone.

After using the location information and the drone overhead as a guide to navigate through a field, brush, and wooded area, department crews were able to make contact with the two boaters. A DNR officer also went into the water to free the trapped boat and was able to move it to the nearest viable river bank.

The Winamac Volunteer Fire Department’s crews assisted in taking the occupant’s boat back to an access point to be picked up.

The two occupants on the boat were later picked up by friends or family and no injuries were reported from the incident.