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Jacksonville father rescued from St. Johns River after canoe tipped

By Amber Krycka, Action News Jax and Action News Jax
By Amber Krycka, Action News Jax and Action News Jax

Neighbors rushed to help a local father floating down the St. Johns River after his canoe tipped over.

“Unfortunately it got away from me. The wind and the current got me,” he said.

Neighbors said they noticed Mark Gebhart, 58, floating down the river Monday night.

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“Then we saw the upside down canoe and we saw feet flying. And when somebody is distressed in the water, it doesn’t take long,” said Ray Davis, helped get him out of the water.
Davis called for help and rushed in to help.
“We jumped in our boat and kind of came down and circled for quite a bit, because it was difficult with the current,” said David.

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The First Alert Weather team said there were offshore winds of 10-15mph.
“He was getting tired, you could tell,” said Davis.
Davis said after several attempts, they eventually were ale to get to him, with the help of JFRD and other neighbors.
It was rough. But it’s over. And Gebhart is, “Alive and well,” he said.

The First Alert Weather teams said winds will pick up Tuesday afternoon and evening, so it won’t be a good time to be out on the water.

Cox Media Group

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