A recent video from angler and digital creator Bryan Lucas Marshall showed the moment a verbal disagreement with a group of personal watercraft drivers escalated when one of the drivers circled around and knocked the fisherman out of his kayak. Internet sleuths then used the video to lead to the arrest of the watercraft driver.
@coastalfloatsSo this happened today. Guy left me bobbing in the intercoastal. Wear your lifevest!♬ original sound – coastalfloats
Jet ski driver knocks fisherman out of kayak
In the altercation video, Marshall was fishing a stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway in northern Florida. When a group of personal watercrafts came through, they had a disagreement. The angler was frustrated with the etiquette of the group for cutting between him and a point he’d been working successfully.
The watercrafts seemed ready to head out, when one circled alongside Marshall, and threw a wake on the angler, knocking him in the water. In the video, the angler clambered back into his kayak, and in the commentary he expressed his relief for wearing his inflatable life jacket which had deployed once he was submerged. In the commentary for the video, Marshall not only showed the unfortunate incident but shared his wish to figure out who the driver was that knocked him out of the kayak.
This is where the reach of the viral video took a intriguing turn. The video drew a community of internet sleuths who easily identified the registration on the side of the personal watercraft, and shared the information with Marshall.
@coastalfloatsPart 2. Both of us have consequences.♬ original sound – coastalfloats
Internet sleuths identify driver
In a follow up video, Marshall told viewers that the information led to the arrest of the driver on October 27—one Phillip Bunch—for criminal mischief, a battery touch strike, and four additional charges. The angler posted an image of the alleged assailant’s booking information from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office within the follow up video, and also noted this isn’t the first time the driver has faced charges in the county. The information on the jet ski driver does not appear visible at this time on the sheriff’s office site. The database also provides a statement that digital information is only available on individuals currently in custody.
The video creator also showed the extent of the damage to his possessions in the follow up video. The biggest being the camera gear, “This is about $4,000 worth of camera sitting in the water,” Marshall said in an extended clip as he goes through the items that remained on the deck of his kayak. He was also assisted by nearby anglers on a motorboat who collected some of the items lost from his kayak during the capsize.
With the number of incidents involving motorized vessels and kayaks every year, the silver lining was the damage was limited to the Marshall’s gear and no injuries occurred.
Featured Image: Bryan Lucas Marshall | TikTok
Typical Jet Ski driver who doesn’t follow any marine etiquette or rules for that matter.
They should ban him from the water for a long, long time. So glad he was found and charged.
It’s amazing some of the comments below the video that the kayaker bears some kind of blame. Doesn’t matter what WORDS or NAMES he calls the guy, it was a CRIMINAL over reaction to deliberately swamp his boat. But we can see that this dirt bag is a career criminal.
I have an action camera and I need to get an effective way to mount it on my person when kayak fishing….for the same reasons as why I have a dash camera in every one of my automobiles.
Where I live in northern Indiana I have more problems with people driving pontoon boats not paying attention.